Answer

Thanks for the information.

 

There are a few things going on here and I'll touch upon and comment on each area individually.

 

The root cause of the problem is that the tank is too small to house 2 goldfish.

What happens in an overcrowded tank is that the water quality can deteriorate rather quickly thus stressing the fish thereby lowering their immune system thus leaving them susceptible to diseases.

 

The symptoms you've described are indicitive of bacterial ailments called Fin Rot=(frayed fins) and Body Slime =(white slime) and a fungus=(white growth).

 

Incidentally the color loss could be due to genetics which does not pose a problem, or to a negative reaction to unfavorable water conditions.

 

What I suggest you do to treat this is begin by changing all of the water in the tank making sure to use dechlorinated water that is the same temperature as the water that the fish are currently in.

 

After the water change add 1 tablespoon of aquarium salt or any other type of non-iodized salt.

 

Once the above has been done begin to treat the fish with a medicine called Maracyn or any other medicine that contains the ingredient erythromycin. Listed below is a link which will show you the product Maracyn. It can be easily purchased at most pet stores.

Just follow the directions on the product label for usage/dosage/duration of treatment instructions.

 

Please note that it would be wise to consider housing the fish in a larger aquarium.

If this is not possible you'll need to do 100% water changes every 3-4 days in order to maintain good water quality. Keep in mind that the fish are growing and as a result will take up more space thus needing more room/water.

 

It would also be beneficial to the water quality to not overfeed the fish. Feed the fish only a pinch of food once a day as overfeeding is a major contributor to poor water quality.

 

I cannot stress enough that good water parameters are the key to healthy fish.

 

Best wishes and please let me know if you have any questions.

 

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=4838

 

 

 

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Edited by TROPICAL FISH AFICIONADO on 6/13/2009 at 11:35 PM

Expert:	TROPICAL FISH AFICIONADO
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Answered:	6/13/2009

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