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hi, i just got 2 fancy goldfish for my 55G and 2 days after getting them my white one with the red cap seems to have a white spot in his cap. it doesnt appear cottony, but i think it may have gotten bigger. it also has white spots on his gills.the others do not have white on here gills/body. should i treat with mela or pima or just watch it for a few days? params in check and i will do a water change and retest just to be sure again. thanks.

Unless the spots are located in other places than the fish's head, don't worry. Male goldfish develop "breeding tubercles" when they want to breed. It's completely normal and healthy.

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yes i already knew that, however the white spots seem to not be on the gill covers but on the actual gills themselves. is this still normal?

no, sounds like gill parasites.

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so what should i do about this?

Treat with antiparasitic meds. Copper-based or malachite green based ones should be effective for this.

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ok so mela and pima?

should i take the fish that i think is sick and add him to a quarantine tank that is at a temp of 86F. i have heard ich cannot live in that hot a temp., but would it be to warm for the goldie? he swims and appears to eat, with no loss of appetite.

so the quarantine tank, or just leave him in the 55G and watch him. also add pima and melafix? i added a bit of salt.

86 is much much too warm for a goldfish. Less oxygen can dissolve in warmer water and coldwater fish can't get enough to survive. If you can lower the temperature of the quarantine tank and remove the heater before moving your goldfish over there, it would be easier to treat the fish (medicating a 55-gallon tank takes a lot of meds!).

Melafix/Pimafix are not what your goldfish needs. They are mostly preventative, and only good for small superficial bacterial or fungal infections. If you do not have any antiparasitic meds, go get some. It is best to treat the fish now while it's for the most part healthy and has a good chance of recovery than to wait for it to get worse and pass the point of no return.

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can you recommend a name brand i could easily identify or ask for at the lfs