what would cause my black moore's scales to fall off and it to die?

Question

I have a 10 gallon aquarium that has been set up for over 6 months. It has a black moore, a chinese algae, and a weather loach. All my fish have been healthy. Today I came home and my black moore was dying. All his scales were gone and a few of his fins looked ragged. What would have caused this? Do you think he got in a fight?

Answer 1

A good bet would be that the fish died, then the algae eater attacked the body and did the damage you see. There are a few bacterial skin diseases that can cause scales to fall off, but they would also take a few days to kill the fishand leave large bloody sores during those few days. No doubt you would have noticed the sores before the fish died, so I would thing the damage was done after it died of unrelated causes.

MM

Answer 2

Most fish problems are caused by poor water conditions. Do daily 20% water changes & keep lights off when fish are sick. Fish are less stressed in the dark, which makes for faster recovery. Do this until the problem is gone, then continue with weekly water changes. Black Moores are a type of goldfish, they produce ALOT of ammonia & can quickly turn good water into bad. So ammonia testing is a must & even though they are a cold water fish, a little bit of heat is good for them. Keep the tank at about 72 degrees, but not over 75 degrees. Also add some aquarium salt to the water. I use Doc Wellfish's, follow the directions on the box for goldfish. Good Luck!

Answer 3

MM may be right about that. Your gold fish remember is a cold water fish and needs lots of dissolved oxygen. What were the readings in your tank? (Water tests) There could have been a number of reasons your fish passed.

Although, loosing scales for a goldfish is a sign of poor neutrituion. Just because a fish food says gold fish flakes does not mean it contains what is needed for the fish. Research on what your fish needs. Green and leafy veggies added as well as a vit. C additive is needed for goldfish needed to be kept in a tank. An orange now and then helps. Yep I said orange and green veggies. Most goldfish food does not contain vit. c which is needed by gold fish for good health. Goldfish and loache's don't usually fight unless they are fighting for food.

I am sorry to hear about your fish.

Answer 4

Its not that he got in a fight, rather the amonia level in the tank is high. Since you have had your tank for 6 months, i can assume it was cycled. Most likely you did a very large water change or washed off all your gravel, causing your beneficial bacteria bed to die. Please tell us what you did to it in the past week and we will be able to help you more. But this is what your tank will probably look like, the water is murky white and has a bad bacterial bloom, your fish look all ragged and white. And your fish are not eating a lot or just floating on top of your tank barely moving.