# White Spot....



## Gil3987 (Aug 1, 2008)

....i think my fish has this - what do i do?? what causes it??

Please advise

Gill
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## Guest (Apr 30, 2011)

Whitespot is characterized by a scattering of small, sugar-grain sized spots (which are actually cysts) that usually spread from the fins. In freshwater fish the disease caused by a ciliated parasite called _Ichthyophthirius multifiliis_.

Treatment has to be applied quickly in order to successfully catch it before any deaths result. Raising the water temperature (do this slowly) to around 30°C speeds up the life-cycle of the parasite, aiding treatment. An off the shelf whitespot medication such as eSHA Exit should be dosed in full according to the manufacturer's instructions.

It's also important that you assess any possible causes. Diseases in fish are caused by compromised immune systems, usually as a result of poor water quality. If you can, obtain the test results from a sample of tank water for pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.

Sent from my iPhone


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## Gil3987 (Aug 1, 2008)

thank you i will go to pets at home in the morning and get some tank treatment.

its just a 17 litre tank with 2 small orandas in it, we have only had it a few weeks  they are actually my daughters fish but she is only 10 months.

i was advise by pets at home (where i bought the tank) to do a 25% water change every 2 weeks, which i did should i be changing the water more regularly? 

how would i do a water test as you suggested?

Gill
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## magpie (Jan 3, 2009)

You can take a sample of your tank water to pets at home and they will test it for you. Just make sure that they write down the results for you rather than just saying 'fine' or 'not fine', as I'm not convinced that pets at home staff know the difference 

Under normal circumstances, I'd say a 25% water change once a week would be fine for most tanks. However, (and I'm very sorry to be the bearer of bad news) your tank is horribly overstocked, and I would suspect that your water quality is suffering because of it. For now I'd be doing maybe 50% water changes on a daily basis.

Orandas are one of the largest varieties of fancy goldfish and even though yours are probably very small at the moment, they are very messy fish and they will grow huge! A pair of orandas really need a tank of at least 120-150 litres 

I assume it was pets at home that advised you on the tank setup? They should be bloody ashamed of themselves


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## Gil3987 (Aug 1, 2008)

yeh i was all pets at home  we were actually told that we could have the 2 orandas AND either 2 platys OR danios OR minnows - i have a good mind to write a letter and complain - it was meant to be a simple wee tank for my daughters easter lol 

so a tank of 120-150 litres to themselves?

so if i do daily water changes will that help in future once i have treated the tank for white spot? What quantity of tap safe do i then add to the tank per water change? 

i am happy to do this if it keeps the fish happy and alive - my daughter loves her fish and she named them herself - goo and ga lol

Gill
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## Fishyfins (Feb 28, 2009)

yeah, the orandas will need a good size tank to themselves, as Magpie has stated. they are very large, very messy fish, and its a general rule that goldfish in general should not be restricted to such small tanks. as well as this, what they recommend as tank mates would be totally unsuitable. platties are a tropical species, and though they can live in cooler conditions, its far from perfect. danios and minnows will happily live in coldwater, however, as the goldfish grow, they will start to se these little guys as food.... its best to keep goldfish on their own as a species.


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## Plebob (Apr 11, 2011)

Sorry but a 17 litre tank is not large enough for any fish. Also if you have only had the tank a few weeks it will not have been cycled. If you want to keep your orandas you will need a minimum tank of 120 litres in the short term with a future upgrade likely as they grow. Also, goldies are very messy and are better with an external filter. The keeping of goldfish in unsuitable tanks is my pet hate and such small tanks should not be allowed to be sold imo as they are not fit for purpose. Don't feel bad as most goldie keepers have started off in the same situation as the image of the goldfish in a bowl is common and therefore assumed to be acceptable. If you need to test the water then the api dropper kits are what I use as I understand them to be more accurate than test strips. From my short time here I have seen Chillinator give excellent advice on fishkeeping but you might like to also try pfk forum which has lots of threads on whitespot and the correct care of goldfish. Hope this helps, good luck.


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## Guest (Apr 30, 2011)

I wouldn't say a 17 litre tank is too small for any fish, although they're certainly not for goldfish and of course the choice of suitable fish is limited, but tanks in the 5-20 litre range form what we fishkeepers call the 'Pico market'. Diminuitive species such as Yellow Gobies (on the marine side of things that is) and Microrasboras are right at home in such aquaria. 

I'd advise not returning to Pets @ Home, simply because since the staff have already sold you fish that are unsuitable for the tank they are being kept in and also fed you wrong advice. I'd dig out the phonebook and find a reputable, independent aquatic store with experienced staff. They'll have better water testing facilities and a wider range of chemical whitespot treatments that actually work. [email protected] on the other hand tend to sell cheap, chinese-manufactured Interpet (or whatever) medication crap that in 9/10 cases fails to work. The good treatments, such as eSHA Exit, tend to be stocked by the better aquatic stores.

I wouldn't bother complaining either. The are, they'll give you the usual sh!tty excuses for a response (if they respond at all!), such as "our staff are trained to a very high standard" or "we strive to provide excellent service and advice". [email protected] fail to provide either. The people at the top know their stores are run by often young (not always, but in many cases), inexperienced and generally incompetent staff; but they won't admit it. 

Needless to say, the sooner councils across the country revoke the licences given to [email protected] stores to allow them to sell live animals, the better for the animals themselves and any unsuspecting customers.


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## Gil3987 (Aug 1, 2008)

thanks for the advice guys  will take it all on board and keep u all updated 

Gill
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## Dr-Dolittle (May 13, 2011)

hiya how are they doing?

i too was given ridiculous advice from pets at home when i first started my tropical fish tank around 18months ago. 

i would recommend you buy a good basic book, or get one from the library. i got fed up of being told a million things from a million pet stores. ive visited nearly every fish shop within 40 miles of my house, not to buy but my little one is facinated by them and on our free days we sometimes take a trip just top have a look at the fish (we are sad i know) lol 

every shop i went told i was advised so many different things, i lost a few fish to begin with due to bad advice. its a horrible thing to have happen and i felt terrible. 

in the end i got some books and taught myself , i wouldnt say i was an expert but ive taught myself a hell of a lot more through reading myself. 

good luck with your fishys and keep us updated


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## Gil3987 (Aug 1, 2008)

I got the white spot treatment and treated the tank and all seemed to go away and it was all fine and then one fish decided to start eating the other and then the attackee died and then 2 days later the attacker died   my little girl is gutted she still goes over to the tank to see if they are there 

I am going to clean the tank out - any suggested ways to do this or things i should use?

And when we do get more fish i wont be going to pets at home for them. - We are in the scottish borders - is there any good places to go near us - a trip to edinburgh is not a problem.

Gill
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## Guest (May 21, 2011)

May I recommend a trip to Outside Inside Aquatics in Haddington?


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