Not having goldies, I can't say for sure. However, spawning is a very rough
activity: scales get knocked off all the time. And it's quite possible your
dead fish is a female that (quite literally) got pestered to death. When
they're spawning, you need to watch the females for signs of distress.
Whereas you can't stop them (just like teenagers!), you may need to remove
her to a quiet place to recouperate.

Keep an eye on your ammonia levels!

Lee
"mike miller" wrote in message
t...
One of my 3-year-old Petsmart-purchased goldfish was dead this morning.
The
nitrates, etc., are nothing different from any other spring that I can
remember. It had scales missing on both its sides, which I now can't
believe I didn't notice before.

I looked, but didn't see anything like a parasite that it was trying to
rub
off, but what do I know. And I'll add an airstone tonight in case it's
lack
of O2.

But I'm wondering what else it could be. They did just start their
hyperkinetic spawning chases - could one have just gotten rubbed or rubbed
too much, and lost its protective scale/mucous coating? Any ideas?
--

Michael Miller