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hi - i just found your website. i've been "poking around"
looking for an answer to a problem i think one of my comets
has. our pond is approx 1200 gallons - it was put in last
spring and had a complete cleaning last month. about 2 weeks
ago, i noticed a "spot" on the side of one of the comets -
it looks as if a scale is raised, and it's reddish underneath.
my initial thought was that it swam into something when the
guys were being netted for the cleanout, but it seems to be
more noticeable now. (could be because the pond is clear now
and i can see better!!) everyone seems fine (2 koi- approx
12"; one apprx 6" and two comets - apprx 8") the pond is lined
with stones and has a bio waterfall. lots of plants too. how
do i tell if it's simply an injury due to rocks, or if it's
something more? none of the other fish have it and they all
are very active since it's getting a little warmer here.
Net trauma and a lifted scale are likely, and
most goldfish will heal that kind of thing over by
themselves with good water quality and nutrition. If
you want to speed the healing a little, you can net
the fish out and gently clean the wound.
Have a moist towel ready as an operating table, a
handful of Q-tips, some peroxide, mercurichrome,
orabase powder and orabase fixative. Gently clean the
wound with a q-tip dipped in peroxide first, then a
tiny application of mercurichrome, then sprinkle with
orabase and fix it in place with the fixative. Stay
away from the fish's eyes and gills. Be quick. Get the
fish back in the water. It should heal up just fine.
Alternatively, you could just watch and wait. Goldfish
are tough little guys, and usually heal themselves.
(Answer courtesy Bob Passovoy)
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