my fish is having balance problems

Question
Hi Chris,
I have 2 goldfish one a long fan tailed and one a normal goldfish(who has turned white).We have had these fish for 6 years now. For the past year or so the long tailed one has had balance problem where she floats up and has trouble to swim low. She usually spends a lot of time lodged under the filter so she can rest. Sometimes she is upside down. The other one has always been the picture of health. They both have very happy and loving personalitites and even when she is not balanced I feel she is strong in spirit. Today I am shocked to see the other one floating up to the surface more often. I would love to rectify this condition for both of them as I find it very distressing to see them uncomfortable. They are in a 30-40 litre tank with a filter one end and a small bubbler(just day hours)They actually get fed twice a day so I can change thatto once a day and I recently introduced blood worms 3 times a week cos someone said it would help her release gas in her stomach. Occasionally we add 1 teaspoon of salt to the water (organic celtic salt)and that has seemed to help in the past. Please help us because we are trying to give them a quality life Ps: they live in our office space at work which is air conditioned and has fluescent lights by workday and natural window light during weekends(PPS they fast for 2 days every weekend) Thankyou for your time

Answer
Hi Penni;

It sounds like chronic swim bladder trouble. There are a few different possible causes for it and sometimes it is two or more causes combined;

The most common is constipation due to overfeeding and/or lack of fiber in the diet. When a goldfish is constipated it puts pressure on the swim bladder and can cause malfunction. Goldfish are mostly vegetarian so they need more fiber than the regular flakes and pellets that they are usually fed. Three times a week give them either cooked peeled peas, cooked shredded carrots, cucumber slices, slightly cooked squash, romaine lettuce pieces or spirulina algae. Unlike regular fish food that must be totally consumed from all areas of the tank in a couple of minutes, veggies can be left in to nibble for several hours. Blood worms are okay to feed as a treat but they have quite a lot of protein. Your fish need more fiber. Resist the urge to feed a little more before you go home for the weekend, or on monday when you get back in. Large meals are dangerous for goldfish and can plug them up. It is very healthy for them to 'fast' for a couple of days anyway. It helps their digestive systems clear.

Another cause of swim bladder trouble is chronically high nitrates in the water. You might want to have it tested. Your local fish store should be able to do it for you but it's best to have your own testing kits. Nitrate is a waste toxin. (That's nitrAte, not nitrIte, it's different) Nitrate is the end result of your filter system's waste processing and must be removed by making partial water changes once a week. Topping off for evaporation doesn't count. Water has to be removed and fresh water added. Replace 25% once a week, vacuum the gravel to remove wastes and be sure to use a water conditioner every time. Over time nitrate levels above 40 ppm can cause organ failure, stunting of growth, immune system problems and inability to breed. Sometimes the tap water we fill our tanks from already has nitrate in it. Test the tap water for it just to be sure you aren't fighting with that too.

Swim bladder deformity can cause failure too. Especially in the fancy types of goldfish with rounded bodies. Their organs grow and become more compressed as the fish matures. The swim bladder can't spread out and it's ducts can't work properly. They are supposed to open and close as needed so the swim bladder can fill and empty it's blood gasses for the fish to control it's buoyancy.

Bottom line is, give your fish a good diet but don't overfeed them, keep the water clean, and hopefully they will improve very soon.

Here are some web pages with more details to help you;

http://www.netpets.com/fish/reference/freshref/swimbldr.html

http://www.goldfishconnection.com/articles/details.php?articleId=83&parentId=8

I hope they do better very soon...

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins