my fish is swimming on its side

Question
hi my goldfish is swimming on its side but it has a story that could happen to any other type of fish you see my fish was stuck between the filter and the cord that powers the filter and i have no idea for how long he was there so when i let him free being very suprised this happened he started swimming on his side and now i don't know what to do but hes swimming on his side breathing fine but there's something different like hes hurting and sometimes he takes breaks and just sits there then he starts going agian but it does look like hes in pain and i just want to help him out so please reply soon i really need your help i'm only 11 years old and i dont want my fish to die so soon after we got him and it is not the pet stores fault if its anybody fault its mine

Answer
Hi Katie,
  There isn't anything you really can do for him, other than give him time to heal.   Just so you know, in most cases where a fish gets stuck, it is actually the fish that gets stuck because it can't swim well, as opposed to the filter "sucking in" the fish.  So, it may be that he wasn't perfectly healthy before he got stuck and not the other way around.  The sad reality is that many goldfish that are sold are not
healthy to begin with and that is why I avoid goldfish and strongly recommend that you keep other kinds of fish.   

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
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