I have had my Oranda (Sebastian) for a year now and he has been very healthy. Lately though I've noticed that he sometimes ends up upside down when he is swimming around and seems to have trouble turning back over until he floats to the top or struggles for a few moments. He's been like this for a few weeks now and I never noticed this behavior before. I know fancy goldfish are not always the best swimmers, so I am hoping this is nothing serious. There are no outward signs of illness (fins are fine and not clamped, no ich or parasites seen). I have a tank with a biowheel and use Nitraban once a week and do proper filter/water changes once a month. I did change his food from crisps to flakes in the past month, but its still the same brand (Tetra). Any help would be appreciated, thanks!
2007-01-04 10:48:09 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Fish
Don't stress out to much, this is not usual for fancy goldfish. Not only are they not great swimmers but they are prone to all kinds of swim bladder problems for a number of reasons as well as constipation.
The most likely thing is the food change. Flakes are horrible food, I don't care the kind or the company. They need to be fully wet before fish eat them, to bad the fish don't know that. If they are still kind of dry (like when the fish eats them right away) they expand in the gut and can clog it. This could definitely cause the symptoms you are seeing.
Or he could just be developing a swim bladder infection or an internal infection. Both can happen even when they are taken care of properly. Those it's not as likely.
Do a 50% water change, add some AQUARIUM salt (NOT table salt) - about 1 tbsp / gallon, a drop or two of methylene blue. Turn up your aeration (disconnect the biowheel for now) and wait a week. In this week, throw out the flakes, go back to crisps or pellets, and feed Sebastian peas, please break the shells and/or skins for him please. Cooked or canned are preferred by my guys.
After a week, do a 50% water change again then go back to regular maintenance. If its not getting better by then then it is an internal infection and you must delve into the world of medication, once you figure out what kind it is.
Your maintenance sounds spot on, this is not a symptom of poor water conditions or a spike in parameters. Good Job!
2007-01-04 12:20:13 · answer #1 · answered by Noota Oolah 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If there is no visable sign of swelling, no unusual protrusions, etc...
Then it must be electro-chemical in nature which is causing this
[Psychosis], which is a generic psychiatric term for a mental state in which thought and perception are severely impaired.
If all else has stayed the same: and no other changes have been made, no other changes, but, only the food changing from a crisp to a flake, then the only thing you could check, is to go back to the crisp, and see if it changes, and if not, then it is a malfunction of the nerve wiring of the fish which cannot be fixed or changed. Maybe it is alergic to the flakes for some reason...
How it got damaged would be your next logical question...
This also brings up: the people that would want harm done to your fish. Get all the names of all the people that have had interactions with your fish, then look at the evidence, and find out who has squeezed your poor baby into a numbing nerve injury...
2007-01-04 11:14:44 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
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If you can isolate the fish in shallower water (for relief) for a couple of weeks, use aquarium salt. feed with blanched peeled crush peas. To help avoid future problems feed a balanced diet, avoid floating food so it doesn't suck in so much air and soak dry foods in some of the tank water before feeding. Keep the tank clean!!!!
2016-04-07 09:30:34 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
more than likely your fish has swim bladder disease, short fat bodied goldfish are especially prone to it because their internal organs are re=arranged (as compared to the normal slim bodied goldfish) some recover from this and some don't you can make his life easier by dropping the water level to 6 inches
2007-01-04 22:34:13 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
dont keep changing ur water, u are taking all the goodness out of it, once a month will do, and keep most of the water in tthere,he might have parasites so got to ur fish place and get water tested
2007-01-04 10:57:42 · answer #5 · answered by lisa s 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋