Why is my goldfish 'naked'?

[Aziara]

I know we have lots of fish keepers here, I'm hoping someone will have some insight into what is going on with my fish. It's a comet goldfish, and when I bought it, it was calico colored (white with orange and black). But a few weeks after buying it, all color disappeared, leaving the fish fleshy-toned white. At first I thought it was a sickness or stress or something, but the fish acted normal and didn't seem sick. I read online that the color of a goldfish can change throughout its life, so I didn't really worry too much.
However, it has been nearly a year and fishie has grown so much bigger and I can really see what's going on. My fish has no scales! :jawdrop: I don't know how it's surviving like this, much less acting normal, but it is. Whatever it is, isn't contagious, as I have another comet goldfish in the same tank and it has all its scales.

Any ideas on how I can get the scales to grow back? Or any idea on what caused them to fall off in the first place?

[Mermaid Galene]

Are you sure there really are no scales? Any time a fish drops scales, it's very vulnerable to parasites and bacterial infections. It's hard to imagine a goldfish surviving for any length of time without them. Perhaps your fish has changed some of its visibly orange scales to nacreous scales (a mix of metallic and transparent scales that are pearly in appearance) or completely transparent scales. A goldfish breed that doesn't have readily visible scales is the shubunkin. It has only nacreous and clear scales that are not visible unless you look really, really closely. Maybe your fish is really a shubunkin.

[Mermaid Momo]

I don't know much about fish, but I think a picture would help people who do

[Gem Stone]

I've never had a goldfish loose scales like that. Odd. I did have one get as big as a large koi though. His name was Sunny. I miss him. He swam away during a flood. He's somewhere in the brazis river/ ocean by now. Or dead, he could be dead.

Anyway, photos please. I'd also like to see this phenomenon

[MerEmma]

This sounds a lot like the episode of H2O with Hector and Emma... lol. :P

[AniaR]

pics!!

[Aziara]

http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o554/Aziara86/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-04/20150417_180940.jpg (http://s1147.photobucket.com/user/Aziara86/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-04/20150417_180940.jpg.html)
On this side the gill area is still shiny, and there's just one little shiny scale, and on the other side of the fish there's one scale near the tail, but the gill cover is clear.

So do y'all think the scales are just really really clear, or are they gone?

[Aziara]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1239358/The-goldfish-Japanese-scientists-develop-fish-hearts-brains-seen-translucent-skin.html

Just found this news article about clear goldfish... Looks alot like my little guy.

[AniaR]

I can see scales. I don't think he's scaleless

[Mermaid Galene]

Yes, he definitely has all his scales. I suspect he's either a shubunkin or has a genetic mutation like the one mentioned in the article.

[Mermaid Momo]

I can see scales too. If you look closely you'll see a cross hatching like pattern on it, I think those are the scales.

[Mermaid Mystery]

yes, those are definitely scales.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[rusalka]

Hello Azaira,
I haven't been active on this forum yet, planned to in the near future. Mermaids are an interest of mine but also keeping aquariums is a keen hobby.
I keep tropical fish and they do change colour sometimes. I'm always on the look out for disease. Fish can change colour depending on their genetic background but I've found it's usually due to bruising (changing colour as the wound heals) or an infection - parasites is the reason I've had experience with. I treated my fish, pulled them through, they're happy now.

Your little baby looks healthy to me, nice and plump. He may have just been in the wars and now his bruises have healed. Or as Mermaid Galene said, genetics.

Here's a good summary table I refer to when I think something is amiss in my tank: http://www.fishnet.org/sick-fish-chart.htm

Also this site, though old, looks reasonably useful for answering goldfish care questions: http://www.goldfishconnection.com/articles/listing.php?parentId=1

Oh and here's a summary of the reasons why they may change colour, do check it out: http://www.goldfishconnection.com/articles/details.php?articleId=137

I hope this is useful and puts you at ease.

[Echidna]

Pretty little fellow.
Has all his scales, how come you don't see them?

I might worry a bit about the wart-like dark blotches behind his gill cover and at his belly, but other than that, he looks healthy.

[Aziara]

Pretty little fellow.
Has all his scales, how come you don't see them?

I might worry a bit about the wart-like dark blotches behind his gill cover and at his belly, but other than that, he looks healthy.

Well, I really had no idea that goldfish could have transparent scales. I'd never seen it. I'm used to seeing goldfish with bright, pearl-like scales.
I'm not sure what you mean by warts. The dark you see at the belly is the guts.

[Mermaid Galene]

I think Echidna might have noticed the one silverish, nacreous scale about an inch behind the gill cover. It just looks raised because it's a little darker than the transparent scales.

Goldfish come in an amazing array of breeds and colors. I've loved and trained about 30 goldies over the years, from ranchus to watonais, in a variety of shapes and patterns and hues. Their infinite variety is one of the things I adore about goldfish!

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