Taking care of their fish is the number one priority of sincere fish keepers.
Having healthy fish is the best way to show off a beautiful aquarium and improve the quality of our pets’ lives, but some diseases and conditions can baffle people. What are those white spots on my fish, and why is my fish’s skin peeling?
Various conditions can cause your fish’s skin to peel including a bacterial infection brought on by poor water quality, ick, parasitic infection, fungal infections, or stress.
On occasion, fish can injure themselves and scrape their skin on sharp pieces of driftwood or rocks.
There are a lot of reasons why your fish might be peeling, but diagnosing the issue can take a good deal of time and effort, as well as a good eye for detail.
The rest of this article will explore various reasons that your fish’s skin might be peeling and treatment options for ailing fish.
Bacterial and Fungal Infection
The most likely cause of your fish’s skin peeling is a bacterial infection. When fish suffer injury for any reason, their body reacts by forming a white film over the body and peeling the skin, but this symptom can also be a direct result of some bacterial infections.
Bacterial infections can be caused by a host of issues in the tank (which we’ll cover later), but what you should know is that bacterial infections are an immediate cause of concern for your fish’s wellbeing and can be fatal within a few weeks.
The smaller the fish, the quicker the bacterial infection will act. You should keep your eyes open for the following signs of bacterial infection:
- Tail rot
- Red streaks or blotches
- Ulcerations
- Bulging eyes
- Cloudy eyes
- Rapid breathing
- Loss of appetite
- Lethargy
- Abdominal swelling
Thankfully, when it comes to the onset of bacterial infections, there are a lot of suitable ways to add antibiotics to your tank.
When it comes to bacterial infections like fin rot, red sores, mouth fungus, septicemia, and gill disease that are brought on by contaminants or poor water quality, a hearty dose of antibiotics can help your fish make a recovery.
Erythromycin, amoxicillin, and penicillin are common treatment options, but you should always make sure you examine the visible symptoms on your fish and ensure that your course of antibiotics is suited for the fish’s ailment.
Parasitic Infections
Parasitic infections are a nightmare to deal with in a fish tank, and they can quickly wipe out an aquarium if not taken care of quickly.
The bane of an aquarist’s existence, parasites can pop up out of nowhere and wreak havoc on your tank’s established ecosystem.
The most important thing you can do to prevent the spread of parasitic infections in your tank is to quarantine any new fish for 4-5 weeks before introducing them to your community tank.
That way, any diseases or infections in the fish will have had time to manifest and be addressed in your quarantine tank.
For wild-caught fish especially, diseases and parasites tend to be more prevalent, so whatever you do, don’t just dump your new fish into a community tank!
Running a course of medication (like Erythromycin can be a helpful way to remove any dormant infections that may be present in your new fish.
The most frustrating part about parasitic infections in a fish tank is that they can lie dormant for a long time before being activated.
Whether it’s changes in water parameters or different conditions in the tank, parasites can strike without warning and be deadly.
Thankfully, there are several courses of action you can take to excise the parasites from your tank.
Fish skin peeling is often associated with the effects or aftermath of a parasitic infection, but if you notice any of the following symptoms, start a course of parasite treatment medication right away:
- Brown or yellow film on the skin
- Skin peeling or flaking off
- Fin clamp
- Loss of appetite
- Lethargy
- Difficulty breathing
- Scraping against surfaces
What Does Ick Look Like and How Do You Treat It?
Yeah, ick is so frustrating and common in the aquarium hobby that it gets its own section. If you notice your fish scratching and rubbing against objects in the tank, you may want to examine them closely for white spots.
If you see tiny little crystal flakes all over your fish’s body, then ick is the likely culprit. When you spot ick, you’ll need to act quickly to stop the parasite from becoming rampant in your tank.
Ich-X is a popular anti-ick solution that may help to preserve your aquarium, but you can also add aquarium salt (never table salt) and try heat treatment.
Always make sure you follow the instructions on your chosen medication to the letter. Overtreating is dangerous to the fish, and undertreating won’t solve the issue.
Aquarium salt encourages the ick to release from the fish and drop down to the substrate below, providing some relief for your fish.
Ramping up the heat is a good way to kill off ick, but you need to make sure your fish and other aquatic creatures are suited for the intensity.
Don’t bother quarantining a fish that looks the most speckled―by the time you see ick on your fish, the entire tank is infected and needs to be treated.
A temperature above 80 degrees Fahrenheit will kill off ick, unless you have a particularly hardy strain, in which case, temperatures of 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
Keep in mind that when treating the tank, things are going to get a lot worse before they get better. Heat treating your tank will cause the life cycle of the ick to accelerate, making the ick seem much more rampant for a short time.
Conclusion
Fish are hardy by nature, but if you notice your fish’s skin peeling, you need to act quickly to diagnose potential issues and start a course of treatment for bacterial, fungal, or parasitic infections.
These can show up quickly and a lot are fatal to fish if left untreated. Always keep your water parameters in good conditions and have a few anti-bacterial medications on hand so that you’re prepared for the worst.
