My fish seems to have its skin coming away

Question
I've had my BiOrb set up since the begining of Jan and introduced my 1st fish on Tues and in the last couple of days it seems to be suffering.  It looks like there is a 'bubble' between the skin just at the surface which has occured in a couple of places.  It doesn't seem to be swimming round very much and I've noticed it having some kind of 'fits' in which it spasms.  It's a black moor and it's only very small approx. 3-4cm and it's the only fish in the tank at the moment.  I had the tank set up a good few weeks before I introduced the fish and put the chemicals in that I was given.  I would appreciate any help you can provide.

Answer
Hi Vanessa;

I hope I'm not too late in answering your question.......

It sounds like an internal infection or possibly the effects of New Tank Syndrome already starting. Make a water change of 25% right away. Also get some aquarium salt. It cannot be table salt, only pure salt with no other additives. Add one milliliter of salt per liter of water.

He may need some medication too. Try Maracyn 2 by Mardel. It treats internal infections by absorbing into the skin.

Here is my article on new tanks to help you through it too;

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New Tank Syndrome or Break-in Period

So you have a new tank and you filled it up, put the filter together, mounted the heater into place and turned on the lights. You have all the plants and decorations where you want them....
You are ready for fish.

But, your filter is not ready for a full tank of fish yet.
The filter is running and moving the water and cleaning out crud, right? Of course!
But a very important part of your filter is the part you can't see. An aquarium filter removes the larger visible stuff, but it also must remove the dissolved fish waste that turns into ammonia in the water. To do this, special bacteria must grow in the filter system and on the particles of gravel in the bottom of your tank. This process occurs even on a limited scale in little fish bowls that have no filter in them.

This is "New-Tank Syndrome" or the "Break-in Period". The entire process takes 6 to 8 weeks to complete because these "nitrifying" bacteria grow quite slowly.

Start off with only two hardy fish for every ten gallons of water and don't add more until the 6 to 8 weeks has gone by. Hard to be patient, but it is worth it to keep your fish alive and healthy. As a matter of fact, the bacteria cannot develop without fish in the tank. You can let that tank sit forever without fish in it, but as soon as the first fish goes in the process begins. Feed your new fish VERY lightly. Any excess food will cause additional waste your system cannot afford to have right now. If you see food floating around or lying on the plants and gravel after five minutes, too much food is going into the tank. Cut back a little each time you feed until it is ALL gone 5 minutes after you feed them.

During this "break-in period" your tank will become cloudy and milky looking. You may have to tolerate this for the entire break-in period but it is only temporary. Changing 25% of the water three times a week until the break-in period is over helps a great deal. Changing water reduces the ammonia and nitrites that rise while the bacteria continues to multiply. If ammonia and/or nitrites become too high, your fish will become stressed and possibly die. Use a good water conditioner when you replace the water and make sure it is the right temperature to avoid shocking your fish.

When the break-in period is over, do regular water changes and vacuum the gravel at the same time. A change of 25% every one to two weeks is a good rule of thumb. It simply needs to be done for healthy fish.

Following these guidelines will help you get your new tank on the right track.
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Followups welcome.

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins