A fish with Herpes - aka Carp Pox

Fantail goldfish with carp pox

My poor goldie, a carrier for CyHV-1, broke out with 2 side lesions after a stressful week of overfeeding caused nitrates to spike, shredding his fins. Although water quality was immediately restores, and the fins mostly healed, the pox continued to erupt and grow. He's about 6 years old.

The water issue was too much for his two tank mates, and he is the lone survivor other than a 17 year old catfish that seems to be immortal.

Red fantail (sold to me as a Ryukin),     blue Oranda,     calico Fantail

I've been a goldfish keeper for more than 50 years (yes, I'm old), but this is the first time I've ever seen this happen.

Note: if you hire a pet sitter, HIDE the fish food and leave teeny amounts in a 7 day pill box. What we call "a little" and other people call "a little" varies a lot.