My red blood parrot fish has red spots for 2 weeks. What's wrong?

Thanks for reaching out about your fish and including a photo. This is a fairly large lesion and needs to be diagnosed and treated. Parasitic infestations and bacterial infections must be considered. Adding non-iodized salt at 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons for 3 consecutive days might provide some osmotic relief but is not therapeutic levels. A skin scrape and microscopic examination is needed to diagnose parasites is needed. Different parasites require different medications. Bacterial infections should be treated with systemic antibiotics through injections or oral medications, not water additives. Good luck.

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 your parrot fish and including a picture. Unfortunately the picture does not help to identify the lesion. There are multiple parasites (and different treatments) that can infest the gills, but very few are visible to the naked eye. Anchorworms would be one such parasite. A short (5-15 minute) fresh water dip can help to decrease parasite loads. Fresh water should be well aerated with an airstone, and monitored the entire length of the treatment. A visit to the veterinarian would allow a gill and skin scrape to identify the parasite, and therefore prescribe a more precise treatment. Good luck.

Thanks for reaching out. Pale gills are a serious concern. Providing additional oxygen is necessary for anemic animals to continue to deliver oxygen to organ. An airstone and pump will help, but an oxygen bottle would be better. As for a cause, a gill biopsy would be the first stop to rule in/out parasites or bacterial gill disease. Test and correct water quality. Good luck.

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.

It could be infection or irritation. You would need to have her physically examined by your veterinarian or an experienced avian veterinarian to definitively diagnose this or other cause. Some birds will develop "stress bars" or spots on feathers when ill or when facing nutritional deficiency. Feather development is affected by an underlying cause resulting in darker coloration. It usually occurs in younger birds, but can happen in mature birds too.

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.