skinned fish! HELP ASAP!!

Question
QUESTION: Hi,
I have a pearl scale goldfish and she has been acting normal and good up to tonight. When I got home from work she was floating upside down. We put her in a hospital tank but on closer examination it looks like her "pearls" are coming off. her skin underneath is a whitish color, and on the top (near her top fin) its a pink color (that kind of looks like skinless chicken) and her gills are a dark red.. we went to the pet store and got her a general treatment, but would like to know what it is so we can take the proper steps.. please help!

ANSWER: Hi Sasha,
How long have you had this fish and is this a new tank?

She may have be having a terrible response to poor water quality. If this tank has been recently setup, ammonia levels from fish waste will be soaring and ammonia burns a fishes skin, fins, and gills. You have to be very meticulous with maintaining safe water for the first several weeks after your tank is first setup. This means lots of water testing and water changes to keep your fish alive.

The best thing you can do now is change her water asap. I'd change about 50% always make sure the replacement water is treated with a good water conditioner and the temp is equal or just a bit warmer than your tank(s). I'd repeat these water changes everyday on the hospital tank.

I can't say for sure what is exactly wrong, but all the signs you have given lead me to believe it is poisoning in the water (ammonia) and water changes first and foremost must be done immediately.

Taken from a wonderful website "thegab.org" explains about tan or brownish gills in goldfish-

"If the gills are tan or brown, this is likely 'brown blood disease.' In normal blood, hemoglobin is responsible for the red color. Hemoglobin carries oxygen in the blood. when fish are exposed to nitrIte or chlorine, these cause hemoglobin to be converted to methemoglobin which can not carry oxygen, so the fish can suffocate. Most larger cities are now using chloramine to disinfect drinking water, so letting the water sit out over night will not make it fish safe. Be sure to use a dechlorinator if you use city water.

If your fish have brown gills, the first thing to do is to test your water for nitrite and perform water changes as needed to reduce nitrite levels. To protect against nitrite poisoning, if the fish is salt tolerant, you can add salt to the water at 1 teaspoon per gallon of water. Salt protects against nitrite poisoning in some fish (with chloride cells in their gills), because the chloride competes with nitrite for uptake via the gills. Methylene blue can be used in cases of nitrite poisoning to unbind the red blood cells. If you are seeing nitrite, you should re-evaluate your stocking and filtration as nitrite should not be present in established tanks"
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The floating problem is likely swim bladder disorder. Swim bladder is an organ that controls the fishes bouyancy and equilibrium. If something interferes, they loose their balance and often have difficultly swimming around. The most common cause is food-related and due to blockage in the intestine putting pressure on the swim bladder, caused by constipation, not enough variety, swallowing air and dry food, and eating too much...the best thing to do is hold off their regular diet completely and evaluate it thoroughly to determine if the fish needs more fiber and vegetable foods. If feeding dry pellets, pre-soak them in water before feeding, if feeding flakes, sink them underneath he water to feed. Offer some frozen fish foods and peas, zuchinni, lettuce and a minimal amount of spirulina algae wafers. Goldfish are largely vegetarian and do much better on a high fiber diet (but with plenty of variety) than any other.

I can't say she really needs a medication now but just plenty of clean water and a diet evaluation.

I hope this helps and I hope she recovers!
Karen~

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: We have had the tank setup since February and the ammonia is good. We've bought water hardness tests which have always turned out positive as well. I think her gills are more red than brown, and shes been laying on her side now not upside down. Do you think I should still do 50% changes and add salt?

Answer
Hi Sasha,
She surely has swim bladder disorder. The skin problem may be due to skin being exposed to air due to her floating on her side at the surface. You should try to not allow her skin to dry out of this is the case. I've heard of Fishkeepers using vaseline on their goldfishes exposed sides to prevent their skin from drying out. As well as isolating the fish to a box-net which keeps them from being whipped around by the current.

These articles really explain swim bladder disorder really well!

http://thegab.org/Articles/Buoyancy.html

http://www.texaskoi.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=36&Itemid=58

If water is good 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites and low nitrate I'd rule out having to use salt or excess water changes for now.

I hope all goes well!
Karen~