goldfish sleep, but how do fancy goldfish sleep? mine go upside down and float is that how?

Question

I have 3 fancy goldfish, and one of my fish will go to the top and flip upside down and it pretty much looks like its dead, but if i tap on the glass slightly or put my face up to the tank it will go back down to the bottom acting like nothing happened, is this how they sleep?I know that goldfish sleep but how do fancy goldfish sleep?

oh and it has been doing this for a few days now

Answer 1

Upside down floating whilst still alive is normally caused by swim bladder problems, which could be linked to constipation or infection.

It is quite normal for a fancy goldfish to run into these problems and you may see them upside down "sleeping" more than the other fish simply because they are so tired from trying to counter-act the rising effects caused by too much gas being stuck in there.

There are a number of solutions to the problem, such as attempting to feed boiled pea insides to them (which acts as a nutritious laxative/fibre source), various medications, or if things get really bad, a visit to a "fish vet" for a bit of surgery (if you can warrant the costs). Sometimes the problems can just pass on their own

Answer 2

By the time you read this answer,your fish most probably has died. These fancy goldfish are very delicate and their body shape make it difficult to swim. If they are together with other goldfish,they will compete unsuccesssfully for food. They don't sleep upside down. The swim bladder is not functioning ,so it can't keep its balance. Fish don't live long with this ailment and it cannot be cured.

Answer 3

My first inclination is to say that you just have a weird goldfish. On the other hand, some of those fancy goldfish are so physically distorted that it could actually be topheavy, and when it relaxes to sleep it floats over. That would also mean that just being awake is a lot of work for this fish.

Answer 4

I think this might be normal. My fancy goldfish seems to sleep upside-down too.

Answer 5

i dont mean to burst your bubble, but wen i was a kid and my fishy's floated belly up , My mommy used to scoop them out and say that he has gone to a better place, Try prodding it, If no reaction occurs u may find that ur fishy has gone into a " very deep sleep" and u may find its best to bury him in the garden in a cerial box