One of my girls seems to have a wound on her cheek with a small bruise on the gill cover. I changed the tank water on the weekend and all the parmeters were within normal ranges. Sorry I do not remember the exact numbers and can not get to the store for retesting. The tank is 29 gallons has 2 8" common GF (I know that is a bit small) and has up and running for about three years. The water is changed 50% once a week conditioned with a dechlorinator. They are fed hagen sinking pellets, occationally frozen blood worms and brine shrimp, and peas.

Now I am resonably certain that it is just a scratch from one of the ornaments, which has now been removed, but was wondering if there is anything I can do to help healing. I mean other than keeping the water prictine. I am keeping a close eye on it and so far (2 days) there has been no change. The edges are clean, it has not gotten bigger nor any unexplained reddness around the wound or bruise. She is eating well and shows no signs of anyother problems. I can not separate her to a QT tank as my 10 gallon is being used for fry. Just wondering if there is anything additional I should do to help with healing or to prevent infection??

Thanks in advance for any advice

Hi,Sorry to hear that your fish suffered an injury.As for the Store testing your Params,and them all falling in the "safe range" zone,that is left to be seen. Most LFS use test strips to begin with,and they are not always the most accurate . People also have different ideas too,when it comes to what exactly is that "Safe Range Level",so it's really in you and your Goldfish's best interests to pick up a Drop Test Kit,the first chance that you can. Alot of people don't realize that water params can change abruptly in a short time,depending on circumstances.
I would think that for 2 8 inch Commons in a 29 gallon,that you'd have to do more than one 50% water change weekly to keep params where they really need to be.Your tank has been up for 3 years too,so you want to keep a good eye on Nitrates,which can build up really high over time.
It is good that you went and removed the Ornaments.With the size of these guys and the speed in which they swim,they need all the extra room that they can get for swimming.
If the wound continues to look clean,with no redness in the area,and it doesn't reopen,chances are that it will indeed heal on its own with Pristene water. Sometimes people may add a salinity of 0.1% just to aid it along. You also should consider the fact that there's always the possibility that bacteria may have entered the wound,so continue to look for any redness,swelling,lumps,odd behaviors,etc. while he is healing.
Let's hope it was a minor scrape and that all will soon be well.
Because of you not having a test kit,it wouldn't hurt to up the water changes a bit,just to make sure that the water is good. That guessing though can really drive you crazy though,especially when you are taking care of an ailing fish.
Good luck and I hope to hear that all is well.

Thanks for the info. The store I use does use the drop tests which I know is better than the sticks. The guy that I talk to on a regular basis is a goldfish keeper as well. I usually have them write done the numbers for me and then I compare them to what is recommended for a tank. But when I did it on the weekend I put the paper somewhere and simply can not find it now... I have a bunch of exams this week so I am a bit disoragnized. But that is why I was pretty sure the water parms were good. It was tested on saturday and the wound showed up Sunday. Would the parms change that fast???? I do really want to get a good kit for testing at home but at the moment I have had to spend my fish money on a new tank to separte my boys from girls and on equipment ofr dealing with fry. But believe me buying a testing kit is high on my list of things I need.

As for the wound the bruise seems to be healing well it is almost gone. The actual cut has not changed either so from what you have suggested I guess I will keep an eye on it and try to change the water again in the next couple of days.
Thanks for the advice Devs

Believe me when I say that I know a bit about disorganization
Well,it's also good to hear that your local pet store uses the Drop Tests.You don't see that as much as you should/ Good luck with your exams,and continued health for your fish.