my large goldfish type fish has his skin looking like it has been stripped bare?

Question

on its sides.and my four year old koi is swimming upside down.but no skin problems.not ich i dont think.what could it be,. a fungus? parsisites? i let the tank get were i didnt clean it for a month.but i have two large filters.fifty gallon tank.i sure do not wish to lose them. but should i kill them?i have 3 other fish in the tank.will they catch what they have do you reckon?
Thanks

one fish thats sick is a large fat goldfish type fish with sides that are bare of skin. stripped bare looking.and he is upside down a lot of the time now.
the other is a koi who swims upside down and settles at the bottom of the tank.no skin marks are spots .he is just sick.i put a cure all type powder i got at the pet shop for parisistes.in the water.i cleaned the tank well.i had not been keeping the tank as clean as i should have.what to do?Thank You.

i will be checking back to see what your advise is copperhead.

Answer 1

A little confused here - you say the skin looks like it's stripped bare, then say no skin problems?

The problem is probably related to the water quality in your tank. Koi are relatives of goldfish, so they produce large amounts of wastes. A filter only removes the solid wastes - not the stuff that dissolves in the water. You need to be doing regular water changes if about 25-35% every week, otherwise ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate will build up. The first two compounds are toxic to fish. Koi also can grow over 3 feet, so your current tank isn't a suitable home for him in the long-term. They really need to be kept in a pond.

Whether or not the other fish will catch what the one has will depend on what's causing the problem. Are the scales missing? Does he appear to have a sore? Are there any "fuzzy" areas? Is he scraping against the gravel or other objects in the tank? What do you mean by saying "stripped bare"? Please use the pencil icon under your question to "add details" and give this information.

Does your fish seem to be "stuck" at the surface? This could be a swim bladder problem, the cause of which could be the water quality, improper diet, internal infection, or other problem.

I'll give you time to post a response, then check back.

ADDITION: http://www.koivet.com/html/articles/articles_details.php?article_id=149&category=17&name=Diseases - on swim bladder disease
http://www.fishpalace.org/Disease.html - also see columnaris and fish TB photos and info as possibilities for the potential skin problem - treatment info is included

Answer 2

This is an excellent website for goldfish.http://thegab.org/ ...sounds like it might be:

Floating or Flipping

* Symptoms: Goldfish can not control their position in the water. They may flip over or tilt or stand on their head. Often they are flipped over and cannot get to the bottom of the tank. They may flip over momentarily or for a longer time. Because of their body shape, goldfish often have swim bladder issues.
* Treatment: Bouyancy problems may be cause by multiple things (some of which we can't do anything about without surgery).
1. keep nitrAtes low
2. feed a varied diet that includes fresh and live foods.
3. Some goldfish get gas from processed foods (look for floaty poop). eliminate pellets and flakes and feed fresh foods (e.g. shrimp, peas, to see if that's the culprit.
4. constipation Fast for 3 days and then feed a shelled green pea. Avoid pellets or flakes for the next few feedings and add fresh foods to their diet.
* See our article Buoyancy Issues in Fancy Goldfish for more information.

Answer 3

five goldfish in a 10 gallon tank is already manner too overstocked. Goldfish must be saved in a fifty five gallon tank or larger. But, another peaceable coldwater fish will reside satisfactory with the goldfish

Answer 4

Put them in a separate container. You probably have a parasite in your tank, filter, tank decorations.... You have to clean it all out and disinfect the tank.