Symptoms of dying fish?

Question

I'm just wondering what the symptoms are for a fish dying. My own fish is a good few years old now and it's swimming slightly squint (ie. leaning to one side) and there's less orange scales than there used to be.

Answer 1

As so many answers have already said, there are lots of signs of dying, and sometimes there are no signs at all. Jon V gave a good listing already (and thanks for the recommendation as well!) It would help if we knew more about your situation, including the species of fish and it's approximate age.

For a long-lived fish with gold scales, I'm going to think this is possibly a goldfish. These can easily make 8-10 years in an aquarium (with proper care) and the record was over 40 years. Goldfish tend to lighten in color as they age, also this can depend on the diet and lighting. For the lighting part, if fish are kept outdoors (in natural sunlight) the color tends to be more vibrant and this fades withiin about 2 weeks of being brought indoors (think sun tan). A variety of foods is healthier than a single food source, and red and orange colored foods (red pepper, carrots, pumpkin, shrimp, beets) add carotinoids which enhance the color (what color-enhancing fish foods are intended to do).

The sideways swimming might be an indication of a swim bladder problem - something that can be solved by feeding him a cooked pea with the skin removed.

I would think that if you've had the fish for a few years already, you would know to check water quality and do a partial water change if in doubt. But if you've added any medications (antibiotics) to the tank recently, you may need to do this more frequently because the bacteria that convert the ammonia and nitrite will have been affected as well.

We really need more info to know what's happening.

Answer 2

A few more details would be helpful! Size of tank and species of fish.
If it's a goldfish and in a good sized tank 3ft or more, then it should live for 15-20 years and be about 6 - 8ins long. If it's in a bowl or very small tank then it's 'stunted' and that causes swim bladder problems which some fish seem to cope with, as well as other internal problems, usually the cause of unexplained deaths. Goldfish tolerate the worst possible conditions which would quickly kill other fish.
It could be 3 things according to the fish health guide I have, the already mentioned swim bladder disease, poisoning due to poor water quality and internal bacteria infection. All can be treated and a 25 - 50% water change may be all the fish needs, especially as you also mention a change in colour. If that doesn't work try a treatment from the pet shop.

Answer 3

There are almost literally hundreds of possibilities here. I'm going to start with the simple and work outwards. What is your water chemistry like? If you have a lapse in your bio filtration, you could have a rise in ammonia and nitrites and that can cause problems. Ammonia usually will exhibit near the top gasping for air, and nitrites will usually show problems of sluggishness, lack of appetite, and damaged gills. If water chemistry if fine, how is the diet of this fish? Are you feeding it steady on flakes and cubes? If yes, that rules out anything being passed on from live feeders. I don't know what the fish in question is though. Leaning to one side, if I had to take a guess on that alone, my guess would be a problem in the swim bladder, but that's very broad, which also doesn't explain color loss in the scale. Magicman and Copperhead have outstanding experience and education on diseases and parasites. I'll give them a heads up to shoot you an answer.

JV

Answer 4

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Answer 5

Its just getting old, if it starts to swim or sleep upside down, or not feed within a minute then you should start to get concerned. I have four fan-tailed shabumpkins and 1 of them has terminal brain and stomach cancer. I would also like to point out to those who think it is nearly dead that some fish can live for many months/years swimming on thier sides, it depends on whether they are dying of old age, swimbladder problems, etc.

Answer 6

I'm with Jon V on this, we really need some more info to be able to help you figure out what's wrong with your fish and what may be an effective cure. Please tell us what else you may notice about the fish and as many details as possible.

And thank's Jon V for the vote of confidence

MM

Answer 7

They swim funny, upside down. They have a glassy eye ball look. They float at a 45 degree angle. They stay frozen in 1 spot, and going to the top for oxygen.

Answer 8

he may be getting overfed, or may be getting air in his stomache. when you feed your fish, take a small pinch of food and place the food below the water line (underwater) before releasing it from your fingers. this way, the goldfish doesn't get air in his stomach when trying to eat because that's deadly. if your goldfish DOES have air in his tummy (starts floating a little funny) - and I know this sounds weird - but I promise it's true - feed him frozen peas - but you need to squish them because they only eat the inside (they won't eat the shell). i know it sounds like i'm trying to be funny - but i promise it works. i'd actually try the peas now so that if it is air, it doesn't progress and become more serious. i hope it works out and he's okay :-)

Answer 9

There are many reasons fish die and for a number of different reasons.

Your fish is listing it could be from a number of things. First a swimbladder problem. Easily cured by feeding green veggies, raw not cooked. Chopped in small pieces. (There are no cooked foods in the wild) This is good to feed your fish anyway since they need the fiber due to the lack of a stomach.

It could be from bloat. Too much salt or poor water conditions can cause your fish to be listing. Routine water changes are your best defense and NO salt in a goldfish tank or bowl.

Frist signs of dropsy. Poor water conditions and diet. Lifting scales

Color change however is another story. Although goldfish and Koi will change color due to various factors, a lighter changing and floating goldfish is a sign of poor water conditions and diet.

Here are a number of great foods to supplement your goldfish to keep him healthy. Also remember goldfish need lots of dissolved oxygen in their tanks. If he is in a tank, drop the water level by 1/2 - 1 inch. This will help. NO HEATER.

Goldfish need a balanced diet. When choosing a fish food choose one with high protein (48% or better) and low fat (5% or less)

You can supplement their diet with things like Lettuce, mustard greens, turnip greens, collard greens, spinach, peas, endive, Watersprite, seaweed, cukes, kale, chard, broccoli, lima beans, green beans, etc. and feed aquatic plants (e.g. duckweed, azolla, salvenia, etc) or hair algae daily.

For their Carotenoids which are a family of pigments the fish can't make themselves and are obtained as part of the diet. These pigments result in red, yellow and orange colors. Fish have cells called chromataphores. Those cells convert lutein and carotenes into astaxanthin which is the red pigment.
sources include, brine shrimp, krill, spirulina, marigold flowers, paprika, sweet red peppers, yams, carrots, pumpkin

Watermellons and oranges are also good as well as proteins like chicken (chicken livers) beef (livers and parts) and pork as well as worms and bugs

Answer 10

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