My goldfish sinks to the bottom and will not float anymore, still swims but doesnt float..cause?

Answer 1

This is a swim bladder disorder of some sort. It could be caused by bad water conditions, over feeding or infection. Do a major water change. Do feed him for a couple of day. Then see if he'll eat a cooked pea with the skin removed. (The pea will loosen his bowels which might be back up, and putting pressure on his swim bladder.)

Note this is not a lethal condition and he could live for years this way. He could die tomorrow if this is the result of an infection. Keep his water clean and watch for bloating, and other signs of sickness.

Answer 2

Goldfish Sinking

Answer 3

Good question. I have a Betta (male) that also does that. I do not know if it has anything to do with clean water or oxygen issues. I had my fish in one of those gallon aquariums with the oxygen pump going to it and he still did that (kept the tank clean too). I now have him in a 10 gallon aquarium with an angel fish, fruit mixed tetra fish, a molly fish and a ghost shrimp (they all get along). And YES, I keep the tank clean, they have a filter and an oxygen pump, and he still sinks to the bottom and lays there. He swims, eats and then goes back to the bottom. Maybe it is just a crazy fish thing. I think it is just plain old LAZY! And so is your goldfish. I don't think it is dying, my fish has done this since I got it, months and months ago. Don't worry, my opinion is, we both have lazy fish!

Answer 4

It sounds like swim bladder (as mentioned above) or dropsy. I had a large goldfish who, for no apparent reason, began sitting at the bottom. It turned out that cleaning the tank, adding more oxygen via air bubbler's, and checking filtration had nothing to do with his condition. He was diagnosed with dropsy. Are your fish's scales sticking out at all? Does it look like its abdomen is begining to swell? You should separate your fish from any other tankmates immediately. Set up a "sick tank" for him, and begin medicating with a fish antibiotic. Good ones to note: Spectrogram, Maroxy. If you go to your local pet shop, they will advise you on the best medication to use. Be sure to add 1 teaspoon of fish salt per gallon, this will help kill bacteria in the tank and on the fish. It also helps with gill function, so that your goldfish may breathe a bit easier. Set the aquarium temperature between 82-86 degrees. Just make sure it's fish tank salt, and NOT table salt. Iodized salt is known to have negative effects on fish tanks.
Hope this helps!

Answer 5

Your goldifish might have bladder problems. See goldfishes have something called a swim bladder, and what this do is inflate with air so he can float to the top of the tank but to go deeper in the tank the baldder deflates so he can stay their longer. Take it to the vet, or take some string and tie a piece of styrofoam on end and the fish on the other this should help him out a little

Answer 6

QUICK! It's dying.
It needs fresh water. It has used up all the oxygen in it's fish bowl!
Wait, then it wouldn't be water anymore. ....H2O.

All I know, is that it has something to do with fresh clean water and oxygen. DETAILS! I don't remember.

Put the fish in a glass of water while you clean his bowl and add freash water.

Do not use soap! There are special cleansers you can purchase from the pet supply store and other additives to help your fish live longer.

Answer 7

Most likely, you had overfeed your goldfish.

Observed another 1-2 day if the problem persist. Try doing a water changes.

Answer 8

Just as sabersquirrel said..It is swim bladder disease. Most likely to be caused by bad water quality, or overfeeding.


I agree with the peas also. you do not have to cook them. frozen peas thawed works fine also.

Answer 9

There isnt enough Oxygen

Answer 10

Dont feed it that much or clean your water.