My goldfish is unable to swim well due to a bend in it's tail - it cant/wont straighten it out. What can I do?

Question

Not sure if the fish is physically injured, sick, or stressed - I'm guessing the first one, but I have little experience with fish. I've cleaned the tank, gravel, and filter, changed the water, and I've been feeding it as recommended with the food itself and other fish-owners. The fish is still fairly active, but it often pushes itself against the sides or the very bottom of the tank, and there are also times when it just floats at the top or near the bottom - always with the same side of it's body upwards. (It isn't upright.) I'm in college, so my means are pretty limited - I didn't even mean to own a pet, the fish was given to me as an unexpected gift. Can anyone help my fish?

Not sure if the fish is physically injured, sick, or stressed - I'm guessing the first one, but I have little experience with fish. I've cleaned the tank, gravel, and filter, changed the water, and I've been feeding it as recommended with the food itself and other fish-owners. The fish is still fairly active, but it often pushes itself against the sides or the very bottom of the tank, and there are also times when it just floats at the top or near the bottom - always with the same side of it's body upwards. (It isn't upright.) I'm in college, so my means are pretty limited - I didn't even mean to own a pet, the fish was given to me as an unexpected gift. Can anyone help my fish?

Also: The symptoms all appeared close to the same time, about a day ago. The tank is fairly small, only several gallons, and the fish is about an inch and a quarter long. It's able to straighten it's tail to swim, but only for brief periods.

One other thing - the fish's fins don't seem to be damaged at all, it's just the bent tail, at least so far.

Answer 1

It's quite possible that what you are seeing it actually two things going on at once. You don't mention how long this problem has been occurring or if all of the symptoms you are seeing started at once, but my guess would be separate issues.

First, the bent tail. Watch closely as the fish swims. If he can straighten it out to swim then you can rule out physically damage or stunting. My guess is that he can't and stunting would be the cause.

The odd floating and pushing against the bottom are both symptoms of a parasite infestation. Which one would be impossible to say at this point, but any medication containing malachite green or copper sulphate will treat a very wide range of parasites. These are usually sold as ich treatments and can be had at any place that sells fish for just a few dollars.

MM

Answer 2

you are wright it was from bad water the bent spine (tail pointing straight up) is a result of the fish being poisoned from nitrite. what happens is the fish will convulse so hard it will break its own back to a certain degree. when i first told this to the aquatic community they did not believe me so luckily professor David Davies helped me study this phenomenon so out of our two year trial 89% of the fish tested no matter what the species where would bend in this manner if put into a nitrite rich solution and this number increased if the dissolved oxygen was low and temperature 2 degrees higher, on further examination of the effected fish we found it was not the spine but the muscle tissue of the fish which had been effected resulting in the tail lifting skywards other than the obvious we also found some internal organs had moved position whether this effects the fish on a long term basis is still in need of further study but early reports are showing no ill affects except for the obvious curve. hope this helps

Answer 3

Usually bent tails and fins are a sign of stunting at some point. How large is your fish and what size tank is he in? Goldfish need clean water and lots of dissolved oxygen as well as a suitable tank. Keeping a goldfish too long in poor water conditions or too small of a tank will cause stunting.
If this is the case, if not moved to a proper home will only be the start of your problems.

It can also be a varied form of tail rot which is a bacterial disease that usually attacks weak or minimally damaged fins usually the edges but can cause bending of fins and tails. Once established, the bacterium consumes the fin as it works its way up toward the fish's body. This causes the fins to appear frayed or ragged or in severe cases nearly stubs sometimes with bending of the fins and tail. You should check your water conditons before treating. The best prevention is to maintain accurate water conditions. Sometimes the salt levels especially with goldfish canl be too high. Do not add salt to gold fish. This can cause the effects of fin-rot. Symptoms: The fish's tail or fins are ragged, frayed or appear to be shrinking or decaying or bending. Goldfish may have red streaks in their veiltails. Treatment: It is best treated with an antibiotic. There will be one best suitable at your local pet store. Make sure it states that it treats Fin or Tail Rot. In some cases a secondary infection or fungus will appear. If this is the case, treat the fish for the fin rot and then proceed to the fungus problem.

however as with any diagnosis, it is always best to know what you are treating for prior to treatment.

Answer 4

I have one in my pond that's had it happen not affecting it just looks weird it's not in a small tank and it's well maintained as I keep koi and there's plenty of room for all the fish

Answer 5

Try using a fishy medicine called Melafix it is supposed to help repair fins along with many other common fish ailments. If it doesn't work, it's still worth purchacing just in case of an emergencey. Usually a bottle costs about $7-$10.

Answer 6

Go to this website" just fish"" they have fish experts that answer all questions about fish.to me it sounds like your fish may be injured. I hope things go well for you and the little fish. rubberstampr

Answer 7

Oh my fish recently died and it's tailed curled a couple days before it died. I'm not sure what it means, but hopefully it doesn't mean that your fish is gonna die. I'm sorry I couldn't be more help

Answer 8

There is nothing you can do in a situation like this. It is either a birth deformity or where he broke his tail at some point. As long as he is eating and swimming some he is doing the best he can. Just keep up your tank maintaince and he should live a long happy life with you. Good Luck!

Answer 9

Swallow him live and put the video on YouTube and Myspace.

If you get enough hits Google will give you money for a link and you can buy a new goldfish with a straight tail.

Answer 10

Do you put chlorine neutralizer in the water? Goldfish are very sensitive to chlorine. Other than that I don't know.