Hello I have just got 3 fantail goldfish about a week ago and one of them has white dots on it's tail and I don't know what's wrong I just cleaned there tank out. The tank is just a glass fish bowl so what do I do?? Yours sophie

Its always difficult to diagnose a fish illnesses with just a few symptoms to go off and without being able to see the fish myself. And sometimes, only a fish veterinarian would be able to properly diagnose an illness by looking at the pathogen in a sample under a microscope to determine if it is parasitic, viral, bacterial, or fungal in nature.

A picture would help but if that's not possible that's OK.

The white spot may be an injury, or a common bump that goldfish get that may or may not be a small infection. If it turns red or changes in color or size or the fish gets red streaks on its fins/body or anything else unusual you may want to start a good strong antibiotic (like those made by Mardel Brand)

But first, please read here for descriptions and diagnosing by symptoms of several types of "white spots" on goldfish-

Goldfish and Aquarium Board (GAB) Article - Diagnosing Symptoms (http://thegab.org/Articles/DiagnosisChart.html#WhiteSpots)

Perhaps you can determine what your goldfish has.

I do hope this helps!

Mine had white spots and it turned out to be "White Spot" :)

You can get medication from your local fish or pet store, it will make the water appear bright blue for a few days but it kills the infection.

Try not to change the water too much as white spot can often be caused by stress.

White spot can be treated successfully with heat and aquarium salt. Often medication can do more harm than good

Have the spots disappeared yet? White spot (ich) is a possibility but if they're just on the tail they could be signs of a fin fracture. Are the spots in a line on the vertebrae of the fin? What size tank are your fish in? The smaller the tank, the more likely they are to damage their fins.

Goldfish really need a large, filtered, aquarium. The general rule is 1 gallon of water for every 1 inch of fish. They also do better in salt water. A tank heater isn't absolutely needed, but they don't hurt anything. You can find sea salts, filter systems, heaters, and thermometers in the pet department of most stores. I would suggest an undergravel filter for goldfish because they can get caught in the suction of others, especially fantails.

Hello I have just got 3 fantail goldfish about a week ago and one of them has white dots on it's tail and I don't no what's wrong I just cleaned there tank out. The tank is just a glass fish bowl so what do I do ?????? Yours sophie

Hi Sophie,
I have found in the past that the white spots that my fantails had were ick. From what I've seen, fantails that have ick sometimes will rub against rocks or the bottom of the tank because the ick makes their scales/skin itch. Also, I've noticed that if the ick is advanced that the fish will be lethargic. Ick is really common, and easy to treat. I treated my fish with some drops purchased from a pet store and the ick cleared up right away!