Is the goldfish depressed?

Question

My girlfriend has had her goldfish for quite some time now and its been in its tank with some other goldfish for about 6 months. Recently he has started to sit on the bottom of the tank and look depressed. He doesn't move unless he see's someone by the tank, but then he instantly sinks back down again. We frequently change the water and clean the filter. The other fish seem fine. What can we do to make poor Bobba smile again?

Answer 1

Is Bobba a fancy goldfish with a bigger abdomen than the regular comets? Fancy goldfish have a harder time swimming because of their body shape and double tails. If the current from your filter is too strong, try turning it down and see if it help him to swim more.

He may also have a problem with his swim bladder (it can cause fish to sink, as well as float), or he may be constipated. Try feeding him sinking foods (if you normally feed flakes) and presoak them in aquarium water for about a minute before you feed. Also, try giving him a cooked pea with the skin removed.

Do you do water tests for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate? Even though you change the water frequently, if there are enough fish (or they're large enough, since they should be growing) and the tank is small, you can have these chemicals building up in the tank. Goldfish produce a lot of wastes, and as adults, you should plan on 10-20 gallons of tank volume for each fish to keep them healthy. If you don't have a testing kit yourself, most pet stores will test your water for you.

A last possibility is that Bobba is smaller than the other goldfish, and the others may be picking on him, or beating him to the food when you add it to the tank. Make sure they're all getting their share without overfeeding (only give what can be eaten in 2-3 minutes, twice a day).

Answer 2

You should have a quarantine tank. You put your new fish in there for a couple weeks and moniter to see if any signs of sickness appear. Then you don't infect your established tank. Pretty much any fancy goldfish (apart from the ones that cant see well... black moor, telescope eye, celestial etc) I think it would be cool to get a red capped oranda (Is yours already red capped, or just goldfish coloured?) So then you have two orandas that look different :) Also, when picking out a fish, take your time. Look in the tank for any signs of sick fish. Any white spots of ich, any anchor worms etc. And spend some time just looking at them all, seeing if they're swimming around happy and healthy. Dont be afraid to shop around. If one store doesnt have the fish you want or arent healthy, try the next store.

Answer 3

this is very frustrating i know. there was one time i went home my fish was like that, sitting at the bottom of the tank. i then performed a partial water change and added aquarium salt. she became better and is very active now.

also i was told by an expert that sometimes fish shows sign of laziness with no reasons.

maybe you want to add some salt (1 teaspoon for every 5 gallon of water) and see if it will help.

or it could be the size of your tank. Since you have a couple goldfish (i assume it's more than 3?) you should have at least a 20 gallon tank or else oxygen shortage could stress the fish.

good luck. i hope your fish will feel better.

Answer 4

Is the tank at least 30 gallons/114 Litres(I'm assuming there's only 2 in there)? If not, that may be part of the problem. It's recommended to have at least 15 gallons for 1 goldfish.

If the tank size is fine, next thing I would check is the water quality. Ammonia and nitrites should be reading 0 ppm, and nitrates under 20 ppm.

If the water quality is fine, and he is literally sinking back to the bottom and having a hard time swimming-that would be a swim bladder problem. If he swims away and swims fine when you move the net by him, he may have flukes-a parasite that usually infects the gills. Is he breathing heavy/gills moving fast?

Answer 5

For a start gold fish have a much better memory then a second in fact they can remember simple tasks for up to 6 months.
My fish get like that when the air pump stops so maybe it's having trouble with it's gills for some reason.
I use gold fish safe and disease safe made by interpet to keep my fish well and I feed them tetrafin sticks it's a complete food for immunity, growth, and vitality. (they doubled in size and I had to get a bigger fish tank after using the food)
They are now 6 years old they can live up to 20 years if looked after well!
All animals have feelings even if they don't appear as complex as us!

Answer 6

Since he lived alone before, maybe he needs an adjustment period. Maybe he doesn't like sharing his home with other fish. Are the other fish intimidating him? Maybe Bobba needs fish that are like him, not other types of goldfish. He may feel outnumbered. Try giving him some live brine shrimp or some other treat.

Answer 7

Fish have the attention span of 2 seconds. They dont have time to be depressed. There may be a problem with the water (you may be takeing out too much of the bacteria in the water by changing it too often). Take a sample of the water to a fish store and ask them to check to make sure the levels are correct and that there is not something in your tank to make them sick. Also check that you do not have too many fish in the tank. You should have 1inch of fish (adult size so check how big they get and go off of that size) for every gallon in the tank. Good luck.

Answer 8

it is sick. sometimes it happens. i have lost quite a few over the years, no sign of fungus, or whitespot ? it can be a bacterial infection or an internal problem you dont know about. if it is suffering put it in a plastic bag and bash it against a wall. this will kill it instantly. but if it showing any outward signs of disease this can be treated. i have saved many of mine and had to bump off a few as i cant stand to see them suffer.
all my 7 at the moment are fine. and are approx ten years old.

Answer 9

A goldfish cant get depressed as it only has an attention span of a second...Maybe the fish is poorly and you need to get some drops that you put in his water...Good pet stores stock all types of cures for fish...Good luck

Answer 10

Salt, pepper & a nice Hollandaise Sauce.....mmmmm crunchy...!