Is my fish dying?

Question

My fish isn't floating on his stomach but he is contstantly upside down in one spot. He's a goldfish..the kind with the brainy looking head. I feed him floating pellets twice a day. Is that what is causing the problem? He didn't do this for like 4 months, just started floating upside down a few days ago. When he does float upside down, he stays in one position. Please tell me what's wrong with him! I don't want him to die. =[

Answer 1

This is a common problem whereby fish lose their equilibrium and are unable to maintain their position. This can result in the fish swimming awkwardly, laying upside-down either on the bottom or top of the water, or unable to maintain a horizontal position in the water. This is often attributed to swim-bladder problems and indeed this is the most common cause of loss of equilibrium. The swim-bladder is an air-filled sac laying just under the backbone at the top of the abdominal cavity. By inflating / deflating the swim-bladder, the fish can adjust its position in the water and maintain neutral buoyancy.

The swim-bladder can be affected by bacterial or viral diseases. In addition the swim-bladder may malfunction, leading to over or under inflation. Clearly anything which affects the proper functioning of the swim-bladder will also affect the fish's equilibrium.

However, before diagnosing all equilibrium problems as swim-bladder disease, we should be aware that there are other conditions which can cause buoyancy problems. Disease in other organs such as kidneys and intestines for example can also cause problems. This can happen if there is any swelling of the affected organs leading to either a change in organ density or pressure being put on the swim-bladder. This is often a problem with fancy goldfish whose abdominal cavity is tightly packed.

Treatment is difficult, mainly because it is virtually impossible to diagnose the cause and secondly there are only a few conditions that will respond to treatment. It is always worth considering a course of antibiotic injections in case a bacterial infection is involved. An attempt should be made to see whether the fish is defecating, in case the problem is being caused by an intestinal blockage. If this is suspected it is worth either trying to feed the fish a few frozen peas, which act as a laxative, or else try baths in Epsom salts (70g / litre for 5 minutes) which has the same effect.

If these treatments do not work, there is little else that can be done. There is some work being carried out on exploratory surgery, but there are very few veterinarians undertaking this "cutting edge" procedure.

There are a few reports of fish recovering from balance problems, so it is worth giving the fish some time. One report suggested "wedging" the fish upright between two objects was helpful. If there is no sign of recovery after 7-10 days, the kindest thing is to euthanase the fish.

Answer 2

four gallon of water per inch of fish is the rule for setting up a tank this allows space for them to find there own territory and room to grow also en ought oxygen as they ex hail carbon witch stays in the water for along time also have an under gravel filter this makes friendly bacteria to digest waste you should start with a twenty gallon tank if you want to keep fish don't be fobbed off with cheep novelty tanks you should have a heater this keeps the water constant tropicals like 80 to 83 degrees & gold fish dont mind

Answer 3

The first thing I would do is test the water. If you don't have the testing tubes or strips, take a baggie of the tank water to a pet store and ask them to test it for you, they can tell you if your Ph or anything else is off. If your water tests okay, ask them about the pellets. Sometimes the fish can get air in their stomaches and cause problems. Good luck.

Answer 4

It sounds so. You might try changing 50% of the water with chlorine free fresh water. Stop feeding for a few days and then feed sparingly. Just what it can eat in a few minutes. Good Luck

Answer 5

He sounds like he's already on his death bed, sorry. Most likely its not your fault, however, i would treat the tank to make sure there's no parasites that could be transmitted to another fish if you decide to get a new one. If you really think you could save the fishes life.. try taking him to a petstore like petsmart or to a pet store that specializes in fish and ask them what they think the problem is and how you could treat it.

Answer 6

he has swim bladder disease and can't regulate his body position
you did not cause this
you can make him more comfortable by lowering the water level to 6" and then he won't have to struggle so much
there's only a 50/50 chance that he will recover from this
good luck

Answer 7

he doesn't sound very healthy. it doesn't have anything to do with the food most likley. you can always call a pet store and ask them for advice. sometimes they do have weird spells and they recover from them -- but often they don't. goldfish don't have the longest life spans. "brainy" goldfish are called orandas by the way -- perhaps its time for a different color oranda

Answer 8

i am sorry i think your fish is going to die .

Answer 9

may be ur fish has been wanting to reach it's destiny!!!that is ur STOMACH!!!