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upside-down swimming goldfish

23 11:01:59

Question
Yesterday I cleaned the tank (10 gallons) and when I went to put the fish back in I noticed she was lying on the bottom of the bowl on her back. She was breathing so I put her back and assumed it might've been the dirty water from the old tank (it was over due for  a cleaning). She swam around a bit and then started it again. I filled the bowl with new water and put her in there with a bubbler to keep the water full of oxygen. A little while later she was looking better but I left her in the bowl. An hour went by without any swimming issues and I put her back again. My dad did research and said it seemed like bloat.

My fish right now is on the bottom just sitting there on her back again. She's still breathing so I know she's alive but it looks like it's difficult to breath and I'm scared for her.

I guess my question is is there anything I can do to help her start swimming with her friends again?

P.S. the fish is a goldfish

Answer
Dayna,
A 10 gallon tank is not big enough for a goldfish. One goldfish should be in a tank no smaller than 20 gallons, and here is why. The larger the tank the easier it is to take care of. Goldfish are among the messiest fish. They lack a stomach, so the food they eat comes right back out as ammonia. If the Ammonia is not taken care of, it becomes nitrite. Both of these can kill your fish. Goldfish also require a filter. I always suggest if you have a 20 gallon tank, the filter should be for at least a 30 gallon tank. With goldfish, it is very important to test the water weekly and also do weekly water changes by siphoning the gravel and removing 25% of the water replacing it with clean conditioned water. NEVER clean the tank out completely if you have a filter. This will cause it to go through the cycle process adding more problems to the water. Fish have what's called a swim bladder. This is what allows the fish to swim properly. When the swim bladder is not well, the fish will swim sideways and even upside down. Goldfish get this mainly by going to the surface to eat, and then gulping water. You can help prevent this by feeding either pellets that sink, or by soaking their pellet food on some tank water for about 5 mins before feeding your goldfish. What I would do now is put her back into the bowl. I only say this because I do not think you have a hospital tank up and running. Keep the air stone in to help with oxygen. Fast the fish for 2 days. On the third day, feed him/her a cooked shelled pea, cut into bite size pieces and then fast again for 2 days. This should help. Then once a week fast for one day and on the following day feed the shelled cooked pea. Once you have fed the pea, you can place him/her back into the main tank. I will suggest a larger tank and a larger filter if you want to continue having goldfish.