i was thinking do fisf shad there scale when they grow because my 1 oscar did it a couple of weeks ago and stop eating. but is fine now and now my other one(same tank)is doing it but he is just keeping to him self my tank is 120us gal. ph:7.6 amm:.25 temp:80 tank mates 3 other oscars 10in 4in 5in alrgae eater big and one feeder fish as of now.the one thats losing his scales hes about 6in i got him and the 5 in for people that had them in a 20 gal tank and the 5 in had hole in the head. but i treated it and he is pretty good still has scares. but now i dint no what wong with the other one. i have had them for about 5 months about 4 weeks ago the did the dance to breed but now happen him and my 10 in one

No fish do not shed scales as they grow.The scales get bigger as the fish grows. Hope this helps

It may be an aggression issue due to tank size. How big is your tank?

fish do not shed their scales when they grow as boss man says.. one thing I learned is when a fish loses its scales or a scale...the fish will not grow at all until the scale/scales are fully replaced or repaired ...this is because all of the fishes energy and nutrition go into regrowing the missing scales.

Its also important to remember that the scales and slime on a fish are there for protection against physical dangers and bacterial infections...this is why it is so important for a fish to replace a scale so quick to prevent infections getting in.

falling scales is always a sign to reckon with: check tank mate, check water
condition and check the temp.... scale is the main protection of scaled fish
against anything in their environment....

Capt Dave wrote:

120US Gl, so a bit small for the bioload,imo.
If i read right, you got 5 Oscars and a big pleco , that's waaay too much for a 120USGL.
Or at least the future bioload, when those fish keep growing.
I think you need a bigger tank, but wouldt like to see some test results from your water.

there is 4 oscars in it and i give me ph it was 7.2 and my amm was .25 and the temp is 79-82. but she died last night. but the other ones are fine there eating everything. my tank is good i do water change all the time so i didnt no what was wrong. could she of had hole in the head and not show any signs of it. because i other one that she come with had it realy bad.

fish dont shed scales. If a fish is losing scales then it either has some sort of disease or due to fighting. check for aggression

You have too many fish for your tank. either get a bigger/another tank or rehome some