I have a pearlscale goldie who's scales have been bubble-like for a very long time. I've had him for almost 2 years, and actually think he's had it for most of this time. I just thought it was normal for him and as he grew, the scales just bubbled out more and more .Now I see most scales have dropped off of his sides, and now remaining is a waffle appearance.The bubbly scales were turning white before they disappeared. He seems otherwise healthy , eats and swims ok. I sure don't think its normal but hey, I'm not well educated on this topic. Its a 30 gallon tank, have two other goldfish, and all three are quite large now. One is a ryukin, and the other a black moor. There are also 2 placos in the tank. ....of course they hide most of the time. Has this happened to anyone before?

i had dropsy before..can u get a pic..

also can u answer all the questions in the white box above

The symptoms of scales turning white and dropping off matches those of septicimia but that's not possible if your fish has had these odd scales for two years. Could the bubbly scale be normal because it's a pearscale? If they are abnormal it could indicate a swim bladder problem, does your fish swim and float ok?

just read this thread i think a pic may help sort this out also if you could answer all the questions in the white box at the top. just thinking since it is a pearlscale maybe the white bubble things you mean could actually be the pearlscales pearls. by that i mean the white part in the middle of their scales. you can kind of see the white dots i am describing in my avatar that is a pearlscales pearls

Thanks for the responses! Yes I think the white bubbles are actually the 'pearls', after reading some descriptions of pearlscales. But them dropping off is my concern. Today I noticed that the pearls that are still on the fish have blackish marks...as though they are dirty. He seems to be acting ok, swimming and eating... Last week when we noticed the first batch of scales missing on one side only , we added some Melafix, but it didn't stop the de-scaling and we saw the other side of the body started doing the same thing. I've taken a pic but can't figure out how to post it here.

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Boo hoo, my goldie pearlscale died this week. I was away for the week and my hubby gave me the bad news when I got home. Guess my little guy was pretty sick.

And thanks everyone for your input. I'm down to two fish now...hopefully they will be ok. My hubby did a water change, and we're keeping an eye on them.

Sorry you lost your fish. Just keep an eye on the others.

Hello Nadi and sorry to hear about the loss of your fish.
It might be a good idea to post again with all the answers you can manage to the questions in the white box at the top.
I'm sure we can help you figure out what went wrong and that way protect your other fish.
Most important to know is the water chemistry, what kind of filtration you have and how often you make water changes.
I notice that you had 3 largish GFish + 2 plecs. This is more than a tight fit for a 30gal as they are all high waste producers. Plecos are not safe tank mates for goldfish as they can grow carniverous once they are bigger. What size are yours?
The black marks you describe could be ammonia burns. If the tank is overstocked and underfiltered the waste levels can rise and affect the PH and cycle of your tank. The 'pearls' on the fishes scales are best protected in an alkaline environment. I'm wondering if the tank may be having PH issues.
Try to post back if you can with as much info as possible and hopefully we might be able to help you.