Blood Parrot Molting?

[jonnyf84]

hi,

my blood parrot seems to be molting, is this possible? Both of it's sides look like your arm would look like after you'v been sun burnt, it's not the whole of the fish but it is symetrical on both sides. I got him about three months ago, he had a black dot on his dorsal fin, there's not much info around about these fish but i've read it could be a disease called black spot, i've also heard that this is a sign that he is ready to mate, he's been in fantastic health since i got him so i'v presumed it was a sign of mateing. Now, over the last week the spot has faded more and more until today it has almost gone completely, then i noticed the peeling of the skin. The only thing i can think of other than disease is than his cave made out of vertical strips of bogwood positioned in the corner of the tank has a narrow opening, the fish has only just started using this cave and the entrance is a tight fit for him, the bogwood isn't sharp but this could be a possibility.... Any opinion would be fantastic.

Many thanks,

Jonny

PS. I've tried to get a picture of him but he's quite shy and the camera doesn't pick up the peeling, if necessary i can take him out and take a close up.

 

[Colin_T]

don't take the fish out because you will only make the problem worse.

fish don't moult but they do have a mucous coating on their body. When they are stressed out they produce more mucous and it could be this that is lifting and look like the skin is peeling off. Excess mucous is usually caused by poor water quality. Check the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate & PH. You want ammonia & nitrite to be 0. Nitrate below 30ppm (but it depends on your tap water). PH between 6.5 & 7.5.
If the water is good then check to see if any chemical contaminants have got into the tank. Perhaps someone has sprayed something in the room or has been painting. A couple of partial water changes and gravel cleans often help clear up most problems. Make sure any new water is free of chlorine and has a similar temp to the tank. Make sure any buckets used for the fish tank don't get used for anything else (especially cleaning products from the laundry).
Check the filter and clean if necessary. If you have a power filter don’t wash the filter materials out under the tap. Clean them in a bucket of tank water and tip the dirty water out on the garden. The filter case and motor can be cleaned under tap water.