Goldfish

Question
One of our goldfish has developed an pronounced arch and swims on his side.  We thought he would die, but is still hanging on after 3 days.  His left eye points directly down and he isn't eating properly.  He spends most of his time floating on his side rather than swimming, but occasionally gets a burst of energy and has a swim.  As soon as he rights himself, his body again turns on its side.  Do you know what is happening?  We are confused and don't know what to do.  

Answer
Hi Lorri!First you should change 1/3 of the tank water and clean the tank well. You should isolate
the sick fish by putting him in a large bowl filled 1/3 with water from the tank and 2/3
with fresh room temperature bottled water. Buy some aquarium salt at Wal-mart or a pet
store and add the recommended amount to the tank and bowl also. Hopefully your fish
will get better in a few days and you can add him back to the tank, but quite often when
fish show these symptoms they don't recover. It sounds like swim bladder malfunction. The swim bladder is an organ inside the fish just below the spine. If the fish wants to go up in the water, the swim bladder fills with blood gasses. If the fish wants to sink lower, the blood gasses dissipate again. When it fails the fish can no longer float to the top or even stay upright in many cases, as yours is.

There are many possible causes. Infection, tumors, shock, stress, injury, infrequent tank maintenance, crowded conditions, etc. You can try treatment with an antibiotic to start with. "Maracyn 2" or "Kanacyn" are the best choices. The fish absorbs them into their bodies to get where the possible infection is. Another thing to do at the same time is feeding cooked and cooled green peas. Pop the peas out of their little round shells and squish the peas a bit into tiny chunks. The swim bladder in goldfish is closely associated with the digestive system. The peas help to get the intestines clear and help the swim bladder have a better chance to heal.

Keep his tank very clean. Make 25% water changes while vacuuming the gravel at least once a week. If you have him in a small tank or bowl, get him a tank of at least 10 gallons that has a good filter. Being in too small a container is another cause of goldfish illness of many types. If there are other fish with him, you may want to separate him. The competition for food and the possibility of being picked on may prevent him from getting well. If his eye is touching the gravel, you might want to take the gravel out until he gets better. The irritation could cause infection and damage on his eye. If he just touches the smooth glass or plastic of the bottom it will be more comfy than on gravel.

Some fish never do regain the use of their swim bladder. The best you can do is wait and see if it heals. He can still live a very long life in spite of his disability. Looks a bit strange, but he could still make it anyway.

I hope this has been helpful and good luck!Please keep me posted and if you have anymore questions,please feel free to ask!
Nicole.D.