I just got a goldfish this morning, he's a calico fantail or something like that, and has big black blotches on the top of him and his tail. he's in tap water treated w/ water conditioners. he seemed to be o.k. when i first put him in his tank, but now he's not as active and tilted forward, almost vertical. it looks like he's trying to eat the gravel at the bottom. when he is active, he doesnt come to the top, he just swims around on the bottom.
2007-07-25 12:34:38 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Fish
It sounds as though he's having a problem with his swim bladder. This is fairly common in round-bodied types of goldfish like your fantail.
This can happen when the eat too much and the food ferments a little in their stomach and intestines producing gasses that make their rear seem to want to float. Soaking the food in a little tank water before giving it to the fish can help prevent this. You can also feed him a piece of cooked green pea with the skin removed. When you feed him his regular foods, only feed him what he'll eat in 2-3 minutes, twice a day.
If this doesn't help in a few days, he may have an internal infection. This can be treated by soaking the food in a small amount of broad-spectrum antibiotic or feeding a medicated food (available at your pet store).
See the links below for more info on swim bladder disorder:
2007-07-25 12:56:35 · answer #1 · answered by copperhead 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I use smooth rocks and crystals with my three bettas. I had a goldfish before and did not like the gravel since it was harder to keep clean and seemed to trap waste and food bits...anyways...
I would switch to smooth stones if you can, and add a fake plant or two so he/she is entertained by those and will not be tempted to "eat" gravel or sand.
They have cool fish stuff and at the bigger pet stores, some fake plants even suction to the bottom of the bowl! Hope he/she get better.
2007-07-25 19:41:31 · answer #2 · answered by friday1322 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Transfer of a new fish from store to home is a stressful experience. It will exhibit some odd behavior in the beginning until it gets used to its new surroundings. There should be nothing to worry about unless you didn’t cycle the water properly or unless you purchased an already sick fish from the store. I would make sure to get a master test kit to test my water for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates and make sure the water quality is excellent. You could put in a little salt to reduce stress; about 1 tsp per 5 gallons of water. Hopefully you have your goldfish in at least a 10 gallon tank as this is also a proper environment for your fish. Check out Koko’s Goldfish World to learn more about keeping goldies. It’s the best site out there.
2007-07-25 19:46:58 · answer #3 · answered by Venice Girl 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
i think is nornal my gold fish do that if you dont have a filter you should get one because fancy golfish need fliter just any dirt or debri can kill it
2007-07-25 19:40:42 · answer #4 · answered by jennifer 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
is he in a bowl or does he have a filter! he should be in at least 15 gallons. with a filter!! and a light!!
2007-07-25 19:39:10 · answer #5 · answered by Mrs. Nicole 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋