Goldfish bulging stomach

Question

Goldfish w bulging sto  

Goldfish bulging stoma   Dear Mr  Wolff
I noticed the bulging stomach of my goldfish about 4 months ago. I thought at first that they are pregnant.They are lively and have a good appetite.
I have recently bought 3 black moors. I'm afraid that if my goldfish are sick they may contaminate the other fish in the tank.


I added 3 black moors to the tank about 1 week ago. They seem to be looking well and have ferocious appetite.

I have 3 goldfish (all with bulging stomachs) 3 black moored, 2 sucker fish and 3 feeder fish which have grown since I bought the about 4 months ago. My tank is 35lts with a filter.

Please see the pictures attached 2 pictures of the goldfish

I would appreciate any suggestions from you especially concerning the bulging stomachs of my goldfish

Thank you in anticipation of your kind response.

Kind regards

Vic Bautista

Answer
Hello there! I can already see your first problem!

32 liters is a 10 gallon which is hideously small for Fancy Goldfish. 3x Black Moors need 45-55 gallons with double or triple filtration. What sort of sucker fish do you have? Chinese Algae Eater or Pleco...? Most "Sucker" fish get way too large for a 10 gallon as well.

This definitely needs to be fixed. If you can afford it I highly suggest buying a much larger aquarium for them or donating them to the pet-store and consider restocking the tank appropriately.

To further persuade you...with that many Fancy Goldfish in a 10 gallon they will begin to stunt. Stunting is a rather painful death where the internal organs grow but their physical body does not, the death is slow but it is eventual.

Now onto your bulging Goldfish stomach problem. It is not contagious. It is more then likely bloat which is from overfeeding. Goldfish have highly sensitive digestive tracts and need to be fed flakes as a staple but green blanched veggies are a big MUST for goldfish. They need little to no protein in their diet. I have some fancies in an indoor pond whom I feed strips of blanched romane lettuce, parboiled cubed zucchini and cucumber, shelled peas injected with garlic juice. Yes garlic juice! Garlic is great for all fish as it encourages a healthy appetite and it helps the immune system.

Bloat needs to be taken care of quickly as the bloated stomach can push on their swimbladder causing swimbladder disease which causes fish to swim upside down and or in a uncomfortable position. (A swim-bladder is the organ that keeps fish afloat upright in water). AND if Swimbladder is not taken care of it can turn into fatal Dropsy.

So how do you cure bloat?

Peas! You can buy a baggy of shelled peas at any local grocery store, pop em' in the microwave, open the bag and see if they are nice and squishy. Peas act as a natural laxative and will make the goldfish poop easier so the bloated stomach can be eased. If you want to do as I do and inject them with garlic... I take a turkey syringe, take a clove of garlic and mash it up, strain the pulp out and suck it up with the syringe and inject the peas! Don't get carried away or else they pop...

Also, stop feeding them. Allowing them to fast for several days to a week is highly recommended. Adult Goldfish need to be fed at least 4 days out of a week to keep their digestive track clear.

If you have any questions or concerns I am readily available...Just remember I might be on the other side of the world (Japan) so I further apologize if this reply is late or my future responses are late.

- Ash WolFF