My fish has a red spot. What does this mean and should I be concerned?

Thanks for reaching out about your fish. Red spot disease is a fungal infection and usually appear fluffy. Adding anti-fungal medication to the tank is not recommended as these can often cause more problems. A veterinary visit is recommended to assess. If you only have goldfish, no live plants, no invertebrates, you can try adding aquariums salt (not table salt) to the tank at 1 Tablespoon per 5 gallons, once daily for 3 consecutive days to slowly raise the salt concentration. Monitor appetite. If fish seem stressed, perform a partial water change. Good luck.

It could be early ich (white spot) infection or another infection (bacterial or fungal). To be safe, separate him into a quarantine tank and monitor for any change. You can treat for ich as you did it in the past if indicated. Bacterial and fungal infections have different treatments, so I would be hesitant to recommend a specific medication without more information or a definitive diagnosis. You can use plain aquarium salt (NOT table salt or Epsom salt). As a general tonic to reduce stress, increase gill function, treat minor infection of many types and to aid in recovery. This can be added to the quarantine tank at 1 teaspoon per gallon of water. Treat for 10-14 days then reassess the condition.

Thanks for reaching out about your fish. Dermatitis can be caused by poor water quality, bacterial infections and parasitic infestations. Checking water quality first, is the easiest. Correct any concerns. A skin scrape and microscopic examination is needed to diagnose parasites, as different parasites require different treatments. Antibiotics would be needed to treat a bacterial infection. Seek an examination with an aquatic veterinarian. Good luck.

Thank you for your question about your goldfish. I see the area that you are referring to in the photo, but it is a bit blurry so I can't see it completely clearly. If you feel that your fish is otherwise doing well - it is staying upright and balanced, it is eating well, the two fish aren't fighting, and it is swimming normally, then I would recommend to monitor for the time being. If any of this changes, then I would recommend taking your fish to a veterinarian who is familiar with fish. You can use the AAFV website to help identify one in your area if you don't know of any. Also, you can contact veterinarians in your area who see other zoological companion animals (such as ferrets, birds, and reptiles) and they, or someone they know, may also be able to examine your fish. I hope this gives you a place to start, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Although a picture could be extremely helpful to determine the underlying cause more specifically this presentation could be due to a bacterial or a fungal infection usually. I would recommend to make sure water quality is good first of all. Most pet stores will do this for free or a nominal fee. Then, as a general approach, I would recommend to set up quarantine tank: make sure the tank is well oxygenation and has some plants for hiding; - add 1 teaspoon of aquarium salt per gallon; - add this product https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/4410/?pcatid=4410 as indicated; - leave your fish there and feed him regularly for 3-4 days until you don't see any improvement - If no results at all are seen after 4 days a check up would be needed as more specific tests may be needed to establish a specific diagnosis. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. Please find the time to give us a feedback about the consultation as that will be used to improve our service.

A photo of the fish would be helpful if you can get one. It could be infection, injury or parasites. Any new fish, ideally, should be quarantined for at least 2 weeks before being staffed to the main tank. For now, quarantine the fish. Treat with a broad spectrum dewormer. You can find one in the aquarium section of the local Petco. Maintain pristine water quality and add in some plain aquarium salt (NOT table or Epsom salt). This will reduce stress, improve gill function, treat minor infection and aid in recovery. Dissolve 1 teaspoon of salt per gallon of water in a cup or two of tank water and gently pour it into the tank. Treat for no more than 14 days then reassess the condition

Thanks for reaching out about Dart and including photos. The lesions are not clearly visible in the pictures but by the description, could be parasitic as in salt water ich (cryptocaryon). A veterinary visit could provide diagnostic services, as a skin scrape and recommend a treatment plan. Other fish will be affected so treatment should include the entire aquarium. Good luck.