One of my two fantail goldfishes can't stop from floating belly-up. He seems to struggle to resist it, and can hardly swim around. The other goldfish in the tank is fine. They are in a 10-gallon unplanted aquarium. With a pretty nice filter. The pH is about 7.5, no traces of ammonia or nitrite present, and the temperature ranges from 65-75F. Has anybody seen this happen before, or have any idea what is happening? How about treatments? He's such a cute (and for now) little fish.
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Upside-down goldfish
- Thread starter StifflerMichael
- Start date
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- aquarium
Hi,
Fancy goldfish have this problem due to their inbreeding and mutation. Are you feeding flakes or some floating food? Try a sinking form of small pellets -- Tetra Goldfish pellet food is good. This way the fish do not suck in air with the food. Also try feeding them some smashed up bits of green peas to help with constipation. You can also add 1 tsp of epson salt per gallon of water and it will help loosen impacked bowels. That's about it. Some never recover. They live but life is always a struggle for them. Some will right themselves. Good luck.
Bobby
Fancy goldfish have this problem due to their inbreeding and mutation. Are you feeding flakes or some floating food? Try a sinking form of small pellets -- Tetra Goldfish pellet food is good. This way the fish do not suck in air with the food. Also try feeding them some smashed up bits of green peas to help with constipation. You can also add 1 tsp of epson salt per gallon of water and it will help loosen impacked bowels. That's about it. Some never recover. They live but life is always a struggle for them. Some will right themselves. Good luck.
Bobby
Hello Bobby,
My first suspicion actually was that it was gulping too much air. My friend was laughing the other day at the fish for this. We are feeding flake food, so I think this is contributing as you noted. We'll go with the sinking food from now on, and try some epson salt as you recommended. Right now actually, I'll give 'em a little smashed up green peas. Thanks a million times for your response, I 'll post later to let people know what happens, in about a week or so.
My first suspicion actually was that it was gulping too much air. My friend was laughing the other day at the fish for this. We are feeding flake food, so I think this is contributing as you noted. We'll go with the sinking food from now on, and try some epson salt as you recommended. Right now actually, I'll give 'em a little smashed up green peas. Thanks a million times for your response, I 'll post later to let people know what happens, in about a week or so.
Ah, he died unfortunately. What I think happened was that while I was topping off the tank with DI water, he swam into the stream and knocked his swim bladder against the rock in the tank. I didn't think anything of it at the time, but it seems to make the most sense. The condition just went from initial injury, to the swimming upside-down, to a full-blown infection and death. Well, at least his friend in the tank survived, and is doing very well. I've been feeding him peas twice a week, he loves them! I've also switched to a sinking food (Tetra goldfish sinking pellets), he has gotten used to searching all day at the bottom for his food!
