My comet fish

Question
I have a comet fish that has been in my family for quite sometime now, and my husband and I noticed that he has been seriously mamed, by something else he was in the tank with.  He has no scales on him at all anymore, he also has a gash on both sides of his body that are pretty noticable.  So, I am wondering is there anything other than melafix that we can give him to heal him up, he is in a tank byhimself right now?  Is there some kind of home remedy that we can try we really don't want to lose this fish, he has been with us since he was a baby?  Can you please help us?

Answer
Hi Amy,
Poor thing. I can only imagine how bad the goldfish looks and feels.

My very first thought is if there is a Plecostomus Algae eater in the tank with him. These catfish are well-known for rasping on the sides of other fish like goldfish and even discus and angelfish.

I'm glad you have him in another tank. Luckily fish can grow back scales, skin and fins although they may not be as beautiful before they can recover.

Partial Water changes, every day if you can, will really help him heal. Clean water is one of the best treatments you can give a sick or injured fish. Melafix helps of course too. And as always, a good diet with plenty of vitamins further helps him heal.

Best of luck and I hope your little fish recovers!
Karen~