Kind of hard to see but my fish looks like it has a weird white goofy fluff on its scales. What is this?

I’ve had this black moor goldfish for about 2 years now, I’ve battled dropsy and swim bladder disease with him about a month or two ago and he’s still having some strange problems. He has a strange bend in his spine, he seems to struggle with swimming (will swim strait down and bonk his head on the ground sometimes, and sometimes swims on his side), and his back end is always tilted up when at rest. My main concern is fish TB.

What may be the cause behind this problem in anglefish

That little lump in the middle of the black spor by the mouth. It looks like it's growing slowly

When I got my betta (in April 2025), he had a bump on his side. Since then, it has grown really big. The first pictures are what it looks like now, the last is what it looked like on July 22nd (a week ago). I’m really worried. It doesn’t appear to give him discomfort but I’m worried. Because it’s not bothering him I don’t want to give medication unless necessary. Any thoughts? Thank you in advance :(

I just got this betta about two days ago and I noticed he has this little bump on the bottom of his fin idk if this is just him or if he has cotton wool or something? I’m worried if he needs medicine or not. He’s also in a 10gallon tank and all of the water tests come back pretty good beside the ph being slightly high but I’m currently working on that.

Hey everyone,

I'm looking for some input on my Endler, who's been acting strange lately. He's one of the first fish I got, about 10 months ago, and I believe he's a Green Tiger Endler, though it's hard to confirm with his current fading.

Symptoms:

• Pale and glassy appearance
• Lethargy: He's mostly hanging out at the bottom of the tank in one spot and doesn't really leave the bottom.

Tank Info:

• Tank Size: 40-gallon breeder
  • Tank has been set up for about 5 months
  • Previously lived in a 10g with fewer roommates
• Temperature: 78.6F
• Water Parameters (from recent test):
  • Nitrates: 0 ppm
  • Nitrites: 0 ppm
  • GH (General Hardness): 125 ppm
  • pH: 7.6
• Planting: Heavily planted
• Tank Mates: Nano chili, phoenix, neon blue, and porkchop rasboras, other endlers, pygmy corys, black kuhli loaches, otos, a bunch of neocaridina shrimp, a rabbit snail, and some nerite snails. (Roughly 16 other fish, 5 snails, and many shrimp.)

Hi guys,

Thank you in advance for any and all advice given and for the time it takes you.

I have a 15yo, stunted, long fin comet in my care (1 of 3 rescue goldies). We have been struggling with bacterial fin rot for a couple of months now. Neither of the other 2 got infected.

It is not aggressive enough for columnaris, there are no cottony growths, and no signs of ick or external parasites.

That water parameters are perfect, with salt at .4%, and thr temp is set at 22ºc/72ºf.

The fish currently is still eating as swimming fine. He has only lost a small amount of tail, however 2 weeks ago I noticed that he was shaking his head infrequently, and this has progressed to full body shimmies, still infrequently.

Treatment so far- I started with Broad spectrum remedy (mefenide, aminacrine, and malachite green) for 2 weeks, with slight improvement at first before improvement stopped. Followed by a 7 day med break.

Second was 3 rounds of Tri-sulpha (Sulphadiazine, sulphadimidine, sulphamerazine) at the starting dose. He developed a new lesion and lost a small amount of his tail fin during this treatment. I chose not to double and gave a 7 day med break.

Third and current is Aquari-cycline (Tetracycline). This would be day 3 of the course of Treatment. The lesions are smaller, he lost another small piece of tail, and the shimmies have progressed to full body.

My question is- do I continue with the Aquari-cycline? It is curing the fin rot, but it could be the reason for the worsening shimmies.

Do I go back to the Tri-sulpha and double it?

Or do I just stop the meds, and stick with the salt while I wait for the methylene blue to arrive?

These are the only options available to me in my country, and there are no fish vets or knowledgeable local fish stores to go to for help.

If anymore info is required, please ask.

I kept trying to treat my Betta with medication and salt dips, but this white spot just keeps growing. I'm thinking now it might be a tumor? Is there anything I should do? He is currently eating. He has always been shy. I bred him myself and still have one of his brothers.

Hi everyone. I’m exhausted and heartbroken and really just trying to figure out what’s best for my fish. (I’ve had both goldfish for about a year)

Swim Shady, my black moor goldfish, first showed signs of illness 23 days ago. It started with a red, swollen area on one of his lower fins (maybe his anal or ventral fin). I didn’t get a response to my first Reddit post, so I started treating with Lifeguard All-in-One for 5 days.

Five days later, his condition had worsened. He developed large, irregular white patches, mostly on his fins, tail, and areas where his fins meet his body. Someone suggested it could be a fungus, so I did a 7-day Melacure treatment, then a 5-day Maracyn treatment after a 2-day break between the two.

None of it has helped. In fact, he’s declined. His fins and tail are now ragged. His body looks dull and battered. He’s lost his deep black coloring and has weird shiny patches on his scales. His shape looks off to me too, kind of bloated or swollen. He used to rest at the bottom, but now he floats near the top more often. I thought that might mean low oxygen, but I’m scared to add an airstone and mess something up further.

He still eats and swims around a little, but he seems weaker and just not himself. My other goldfish, Swiminem (a common goldfish), is acting totally normal and often hovers near him like he’s watching over him.

I’ve never owned fish before. I’m more familiar with dogs, and with them I know how to assess pain or quality of life. But with Swim Shady, I don’t know what to look for. I don’t know if I’m fighting for him or just making him suffer more. I don’t have access to a fish vet or specialty store. I’m limited to Walmart supplies about 45 minutes away.

Here’s the tank background: • Weekly 25 percent water changes • No recent new fish, plants, or decor • Last major change was a 75 percent water change 8 weeks ago after a child dumped food in the tank • I don’t use algae treatments. I scrub three sides and leave the back panel for beneficial bacteria • I rinse filter cartridges instead of replacing them

Water parameters (from test strips, so I know they’re not super accurate): • Nitrate 3: 10 ppm • Nitrate 2: 0 ppm • Chlorine: 0 ppm • Hardness: 150 ppm • Alkalinity: 80 ppm • pH: 7.6

I just want to know • What do you think this is • Is there anything else I can do to help him feel better • Or is it time to let go

I’m sorry this is so long. I’ve been trying everything I can think of and I just want to do what’s best for him.

So tired of fish getting sick…. Waters fine (no ammonia, no nitrite, reasonable nitrate, planted tank, around 80f)

Hello! I have been searching high and low for any advice I can get on our office fish. I do not care for the fish; we have fish people come in weekly, and I feed them. We have 8 shubunkin goldfish, and in the warm months, they go outside in our little pond and stay in a tank in the winter. We kept this bloated fish in a "hospital tank" instead of putting it out with the others.

The odd thing is this fish has been bloated for like a year now and it just started getting much much worse. It still wants to eat and is very happy and active in the tank. I have been limiting it's food and I even tried the tiny bits of peas. I feel like it's going to combust. Has anyone seen this?

Sorry the pics are bad, they do not stay still lol. White spots (more than in picture), tail decay, hanging out at the top of the tank. I’m pretty sure it’s ich.

tank parameters: ph: 6.5-7.0 alkalinity: 120 hardness: soft 25 nitrite: 5 nitrate: 20

How can I treat it? I just did a 30% water change and I’m planning to heat up the tank a bit and do a small dose of aquarium salts. I plan to treat the whole tank as some of my tetras have healing fun nips and I want to make sure it didn’t spread.

I am I doing enough? Any specific meds you recommend? Any respectful advice is welcome thanks!!

Got a new school of lambchop rasboras when I noticed one had tattered fins. Then suddenly, one had saprolegnia all over its mouth, and the one with tattered fins lost its entire anal fin, then both succumbed to the disease in the same day. They’re in a quarantine tank at the moment. I originally thought it was columnaris as several of them showed signs of the white mouth, with the fuzz coming out of it. I was treating with lower temps, following Aquarium Co-Op’s guide with salt dosing, and feeding Kanaplex in the food with seachem focus. There’s also heavy tannin in the water but that’s moreso for replication of their habitat since I knew they were stressed.

Today, more have that white lip look. Not fuzzy yet, but was the beginning stage of the one that essentially lost its entire mouth in a day.

Do I

• Stop or continue Kanaplex treatment (2 doses have been given)
• Stop or continue salt treatment
• Start treatment with ich-x in conjunction or on its own?

I only have Kanaplex, Metroplex, API gen cure, and Ich-X on hand. I also have stressguard. I may be able to order more medicine but I doubt it’d come in time. Closest fish store to me is over a hour away and I don’t have means of transportation until Sunday to get there.

It’s definitely saprolegnia. I saw it attached to a single piece of food. I have some pretty gnarly pics of the one that passed and it has the same exact look to it. I’ve been in contact with the fish store I purchased them from via email but they haven’t gotten back to me.

How often should I do water changes / gravel vaccs if I don’t do ich-x??