Pearscale fish troubles...

Question
QUESTION: Hi, I have a pearlscale goldfish that measures no more than 2 inches. i've had him for several months now, with some trouble here and then, recently quite a lot.  He's never been a great swimmer, but he's been floating(tail end first) to the top of the tank a lot, sometimes rolls on his back.  I have him in a five gallon tank by himself, feed him usually every other day, and have added ammonia neutralizer and aquarium salt, neither have seemed to make a difference. i read about swim bladder disease a fed him the inside of  pea maybe two weeks ago but haven't since, because it didn't seem to help.  Im running out of options and am constantly concerned he is not going to make it much longer. please help! thank you so much.

ANSWER: Cameron,
It does sound like swim bladder disease. Since you have him in a very small tank, you should be doing water changes daily. I would stop with the ammonia neutralizer because it doesn't work and just causes more problems. Try fasting the fish for 2 days. On the third day feed him a cooked shelled pea cut into small bite size pieces. Remember not to feed the shell part because he cannot digest it. Then fast him again for 2 days. The fasting is the most important part when treating for swim bladder disease. Aquarium salt does little, if anything, for swim bladder disease. Try the fasting him and let me know how he is in a week or so, or sooner if he gets worse.

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QUESTION: Thank you so much, i'll surely let you know how things go.  Do you have any suggestions to prevent this from becoming problematic in the future? Thanks again. (p.s. I hope to get a 10 gal tank in the near future)

ANSWER: Cameron,
To help prevent swim bladder disease, always fast your fish one day a week and the following day feed him the shelled cooked pea. Unfortunately, a 10 gallon tank is not big enough for him.  The minimum size tank for 1 goldfish is 20 gallons and 10 gallons for each fish added.

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QUESTION: So I've been told, he just seems so small! How fast do they typically grow?
And thank you for the fast responses!

Answer
Cameron,
They do grow pretty fast and if the tank is too small it will stunt his growth. That means, the outside of the fish will stop growing but all the internal organ will not. One main reason for a large tank is because goldfish are huge waste producers because they do not have a stomach. Their water get dirty very quickly. You will also want to get a filter that is for a bigger tank than what you have to help keep the water cleaner. You will still have to do water changes weekly even if they have a huge tank with a bigger filter.