I think my goldfish is constipated?

Question

One of my two goldfish tends to float, it has to work hard to stay under water. It's a really fat one too compared to his mate... It's a really funny sight sometimes and my cat is very entertained with this fish, but I don't think it's very healthy for him/her... What can I do?

I think it's so fat because he is constipated, and maybe the digestion system creates gasses that he/she can't get rid of, which would make it float...

greetz from me and my cat Nero ;)

btw how can I check which gender my fish has?

Answer 1

It could be swim badder problem. Feed your gold fish some green veggies, peas, green beans, cukes, lettuce etc. this will help to get things moving.

It is always a good idea every now and then to feed them veggies.

What kind of gold fish is it.

Email me and I will help you decide from there.

Answer 2

It either old rancid food and or high nitrates that can cause this. Stop feeding for a few days to let the fish get off the top. Buy a fish food that has lots of seafood in it and NO corn, corn gluten meal, or gluten meal. Those are the ingredients of poor quality food. Protien should be around 30% or higher with fat around 10%. Flakes suck. Most name brand fancy packaged food sucks. You will have to hunt, check out tropical fish food. I feed my goldfish twice a day all they can eat for 5 minutes and they graze on the green algae all day, so they are fed quite well, none of my fatties float. I change out my food monthly, unless its frozen and that lasts a long time. I do not ever soak my food, and I feed them sinking pellets.
I came to the conclusion many years ago that floating is not caused by simply overfeeding. I had a fish that was fine until fed. I thought I was overfeeding so I gave him only 3 pellets. He still floated for hours after eating. When I switched to frozen brine shrimp the fish ate at least 10 times as much as the pellet and didn't float. When I switched to a new food, same thing, the fish ate a lot more with no floaty problem. So as a rule I get my fish new pellet food once a month and inspect the package to see if its been opened or compromised before I buy it. I have 4 large goldfish 2 ryukins (4 and 5 inch), ranchu (6 inch) and an oranda (4 inch) they are all nice and plump and no one floats. I also keep the nitrates down under 20 ppm. If yours are higher than 40 ppm, its time for big water changes. High nitrates also can cause a goldfish to float. Try what I suggest and see if the fish won't permanently come off the top of the water. Good Luck.
Boy goldfish have breeding tubricles that you should be able to see this time of year if your fish are more than 2 years old. Breeding tubricles are little pimple like spots on the cheeks, gill covers and leading edge of the pectoral fins. Assume the males are those fish and all the rest are female. I don't know about everyone elses wacky way of telling, as far as I know that's about the only way. If you catch the female releasing eggs than that is a way to know. They don't breed very sucessfully in a tank.

Answer 3

Treat this as advised for constipation first. Also, adding a tiny bit of Epsom salts may help - about 1/8 teaspoon for every 5 gallons of water. If the salt and fasting (or peas) doesn't have an effect in a few days, your fish could be showing early signs of dropsy. Do a good water changes, then treat with a broad-spectrum antibiotic (Binox, tetracycline). Go straight to dropsy if your fish is showing signs of the scales standing out from the body.

As far as sexing your fish, they should be at least a year old and in breeding condition before you can tell. The tubercles on the gill covers (also along the front edge of the side fins) are one way - the shape of the anal opening is another. Unless your fish are old enough and in breeding condition, they will all look like females. See photos:
http://www.bristol-aquarists.org.uk/goldfish/info/sexing-fs.htm

Answer 4

I'd keep an eye on your cat Nero, because it may well be infected with the same condition which is called "zorbintoki deficiency disorder". Surround its bowl with garlic, crushed sea shells and parrot urine which should drive out the infection and restore your fish to good health and healthy bowels. The reason your other goldfish has not contracted zdd is because it has super fish powers and is, in my opinion, the last member of the kryptonian super race.

Good Luck,

Dr. Schmanehaw Manrinwa (of Azerbaijan)

Answer 5

You are most likely right that the fish is constipated. Fancy goldfish are very prone to this problem becaue of their body shape. To cure it you need to not feed the fish for a day or so then feed it some foods high in fiber. Peas are a very popular choice and goldfish seem to enjoy them. Just split the pea open and feed the fish the soft part inside, not the shell.

If this doesn't fix things up in a few days, then the fish most likely has a swim bladder infection. These are not real easy to treat and will require certain antibiotics. Furanace is one of the very best choices as it is well absorbed by the fish and can get to an internal infection better than some of the others on the market. I would also suggest you feed medicated food during the treatment. As there is more than one kind, be sure you get the one for bacterial infections. Treat for a total of 14 days as directed on the bottle or package.

Best of luck

MM

Answer 6

He may very well be constipated actually. It's very common in goldfish. Skip his meal for one day and that should help him clear out his little system. Stress from your cat could also be causing it. Keep kitty away for a day or two. If he still looks bloated he may very well have dropsy. It can be cured with a general cure tablet that you drop into his water once a day for about a week. Check wth your local fish supplies store if you think that's the case. As for checking gender - good luck. It's basically impossible to know the gender of a goldfish.

Answer 7

it could be dropsy ? a deadly infection of the inside organs...
it could also be swim bladder problems? does he try to swim back down? what do you mean by 'float?' on his side? feed him peas.. change the food you give him. maybe youre feeding pellets? feed them flakes instead...
if it is constipation, stop feeding for two days.

you can tell if the fish is male if he has tiny white spots near his head. on his cheek armour.

Answer 8

ur fish is about to die... mine did the same thing