# Peeling scales



## Raimundas

Hello everyone,
some time ago I bought pair of unindentified Malawi cichlids where one of them was well beaten and had lost a lot of scales. I was trying to help him keeping in separate tank, but he died anyway. Other one left alive a lives till now... But... it wasn't fight result only. As I realised now, that was a deasease which apeared in my main tank where the same beaten fish lived for one day only (all that was about 2-3 months ago).

So, basicly all my fishes starting to loose scales. They are peeling right now, but one of estherae has lost few scales allready. As I understand, this deasease has lived in my tank few months until reached some good conditions and started to spread. (because it is hot now and I have no air conditiong at home, water temperature in my tank reaches 29-31 degrees celsius).

Please help me identifying deasease and how to heal my fishes.

Here are few photos (take a look at whitish looking peeling scales):
http://www.akvariumas.net/misc/Clipboard01.jpg
http://www.akvariumas.net/misc/Clipboard02.jpg
http://www.akvariumas.net/misc/Clipboard03.jpg


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## Robin

Hi

Unfortunately the pictures don't add anything to your description. I can't see any peeling scales.

There's a number of things that will cause a fish's scales to peel off so we'll need more information before we can figure out what's going on.

First of all: how's your water quality? Have you tested for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate? How often do you do partial water changes and how much water do you remove? Do you use a declorinator?

How big is the tank and how many fish? What species?

Are the fish eating? 
Are the fish swimming normally or are they hanging at the top or bottom of the tank?
Are the fish flashing?(Rubbing constantly up against things in the tank) 
Are any of the fish gasping?

Do you notice any kind of growth on them? Salt like specs? Fuzzy growth? Look really close and shine a light on them from different directions: do you see any kind of gray or rust colored film on them?

Robin


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## Raimundas

Thank You for reply.
I made few more photos with other camera, better quality but not good enough:
http://www.akvariumas.net/misc/Clipboard04.jpg
http://www.akvariumas.net/misc/Clipboard05.jpg
http://www.akvariumas.net/misc/Clipboard06.jpg

Regarding water quality (70% of water changed two days ago):
NO2 - 0,1 max
NO3 - 5 max
GH - 14
KH - 12
pH - 7,3
NH3 - 0,5 max

Ussally I do 50% water change every 2 weeks. 
Tank - 240 liters
Fishes: 
12 P.demasoni
5 M.auratus
5 M.estherae
1 unindetified Malawi mbuna

If declorinator (don't understand this word very well) is for chlorine removal, no I am not using it, because water in Lithuania is without it.

Fish behaviour is normal... the same as before I noticed those strange looking scales. They do not gasp or rubb themselfs.

Comapring yesterdays situation and todays I don't see progress to any direction. Now I started to think maybe it's an alpha M.Auratus male being too much agrresive towards other bigger fishes, but in other way - why only scales, why fins are normal....


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## Robin

I still don' t see PEELING scales in the pictures. Are they actually coming off the fish or just kind of roughed up? It could be aggression. YOu've got a lot of fish in a relatively small tank and the auratus are known for being overly aggressive. The fish in the picture does look like it's got a chewed dorsal fin.

But I'm not 100% convinced that's its just aggression. It's still hard to get much from the pictures but the whitish areas on the fish's body doesn't look like an injury from an attack.

For now I would try doing daily partial water changes of 30% and see if there's any improvement. Just give it 5 days.

What sort of meds are available to you there?

Robin


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## Raimundas

Yes, sorry for bad description. They are not peeling, just kind of roughed up.
I found one specialist who identified it as some kind of ectoparasite. So now I am healing fishes with salt (3-4grams/per liter). It's only one day past since I done it, and if I am not wrong - it helps. We'll see how it goes.
Thanks for help and I'll let you know results.


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## Robin

3-4 grams per liter is probably not enough salt. (That equates to _aprox _1 teaspoon per quart, if I've converted it all correctly.)

I would put about three times that much to make it all effective against any external parasite.

Let me know how it works out

Robin


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## Robin

SHould be about 12 to 36 grams of salt per 20 liters of water (1-3 tablespoons per five gallons)


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## Raimundas

Hi again. Just to let you know.... I kept salt consentration described above for a a week. Later I made it twice less. Finally results are not so bad. Almost 90% of those roughed scales gone and fishes look good. I think another week and illness will be gone for good.
Thanks for help.


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## Robin

Great! Thanks for letting us know. 

Robin


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