flower horn scales falling off

[Lady Elizabeth]

hey guys, is it normal for a campa's scales to fall off? my friend bought a flower horn and the LFS said that the fish is ok and is only changing color. The LFS said that the fish will change it's color to pink and green, there's no problem in that because they are pretty colors, what confuses me is that the fish's former color is purple, is that normal? we are kinda wondering if the LFS change my friend's fish. He bought the fish a month ago because its purple, but was not able to get the fish sooner because he does not have the aquarium yet. Now the flower horn has turned into grayish white with dark spots and the scales are falling off. Please help!!!!

 

[Menagerie]

Fish can change color without loosing scales. This sounds like an ill fish.

Answer these Qs to ensure we have as much information as possible about your ailing fish and its environment:

1~What type of fish is afflicted? In addition, please describe what is wrong with the fish to the beset of your ability (i.e. cotton like growth, bloated, etc.).
2~What are your tank parameters (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, temp, pH)? Please give exact values.
3~ How large is the tank? How long has the tank been set up?
4~What type of filtration are you using? Please give the name and number (i.e. Fluval 304) and amount of gph if known.
5~How many fish are in the tank? What kinds of fish are they and what are there current sizes?
6~When is the last time you did a water change and vacuum the gravel? How often do you do this? How much water do you remove at a time?
7~How long have you had the fish? If the fish is new, how did you acclimate it/them?
8~Have you added anything new to the tank--decor, new dechlorinator, new substrate, etc.?

 

[Lady Elizabeth]

the fish is a flower horn, i think it's campa, before it was purple, but now it faded to white, black and gray, we just got it from the LFS yesterday, we noticed the scales are falling off. the overhead filter is 3 in 1, the fish is about 6 inches from head to tail, the tank is 15 gallons (we'll put it in a bigger tank when it gets bigger) ,we cycled the tank for 3 days because that is what the LFS told us, we only put assorted stones and the fish is alone in the tank.

 

[Menagerie]

So, the fish was loosing scales at the LFS?
Your tank is not cycled--read up on the nitrogen cycle in the articles section. You will need a liquid test kit for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate to monitor the values.

Does it look like there is anything growing on it? Is it flashing/rubbing on decor? Is it hoovering at the surface?

Can you provide a pic?

 

[grimlock3000]

A 6 inch Flowerhorn is a massive bioload for an uncycled 15g tank! You NEED to get an ammonia test kit, nitrite test kit, and nitrate test kit. Reach up on the nitrogen cycle as much as you can if you want to save that fish. You are likely going to be doing daily water changes to keep the water more healthy for the fish.

That is assuming you want to keep the fish. I woudl reccomend that you just take the fish back and get some other smaller fish to cycle the tank, or do a fishless cycle.

 

[Fishalicious]

damn LFS's and their 3 day cycles....

 

[Lady Elizabeth]

yes, when we got the fish we noticed that it was already losing scales, on the first day it was flashing but it stopped doing it now, are there fishes that losses their scales when changing it's color? cause that is what the LFS told us. how long should we cycle the water?. i can not provide a picture right now, but i will try. the fish is also not eating.

 

[Menagerie]

This fish is ill.
Try looking through these sites:
http://www.aquatronicsonline.com/hobbyist/hobbyist3.htm
http://www.aqualink.com/disease/sdisease.html#ich
http://fish.mongabay.com/diseases.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/AqBizSubWebIndex/fishdisho.htm

As for cycling the water, that takes 4-6 weeks, sometimes longer. The ammonia will build up, then the nitrites, then the nitrates. The tank is cycled when ammonia and nitrite areundectable.

 

[Lady Elizabeth]

thank you! it's our fault we didnt search for infos about flowerhorns in the first place, il send you a photo if i can borrow a digicam do you recommend a med for this fish?

 

[Menagerie]

For right now, treat with melafix. I have no idea what the fish is suffering from and will not recommend anything stronger at this time.
Please keep updating--especially if you see cottony growths or blood under the skin.

 

[Lady Elizabeth]

ok, thanks! i learned that the fish is a kamfa i mispelled it the first time... the fish is eating now and it has become more active, we do not see any of its scales falling off, but it still flash occasionally.... it also started digging the gravel.