gold fish question

[Woll]

hi everyone, i know this isn't a discus question but i was hoping someone could help anyway. My gf has a goldfish that is having problems swimming, it spends most of its time floating on the top of the tank, but recently it has started floating upside down and is having problems staying the right way.
Any advice anyone???

[DR.V]

heheh...i also had the same problem, but the goldfish only lasted for 3 weeks then it die. So...just be ready ^^

[Littlefish]

Sounds like swim bladder trouble - also sometimes called 'flip over desease'. The swim bladder is like a bag of air which works like a diver's inflatable vest to adjust buoyancy.

Problems have been attributed to all sorts of things eg, water quality, diet, tumours, indigestion. Sometimes an intestinal blockage can press on the swim bladder, causing problems.

Two of the simplest and most popular treatments are:

Raise water temperature and don't feed the fish for a few days to encourage the fish's digestive system to process the problem.

Feed the fish one or two green peas (depending on size). Just thaw regular frozen peas. Theory is that peas act as a laxative to break up any blockages.

There are lots of other theories around for treatment. Check the search engines.

Fred :wink: