sick fish, sort of long. sorry

Question
Hello, I have a fancy tail goldfish (Jack -he has a jack-o-lantern on his side...witty), I've had him for
about 4 years, and the past few days when I come in in the morning I find him on the bottom sort of
on one side., I got upset and tapped the tank, put some food in, then he rushes towards the top eats
and seems okay, but every so often he's on the bottom again.
His tank mate is a 10 year old beast of a gold fish, about 6" long and totally indestructible, whom
seems great and even occasionally helps jack get up to the top by putting his head underneath jack's
belly and nudging him up..... I just don't want to lose my jacky boy, what do I need to do?
---- ps. earlier tonight my sucker fish was attached to the front of my tank and I could see that
around the inside of his mouth it looked like he had blisters? they were white, he has about 3 or 4
and about as big around as a coffee straw...... he acts completely normal and I would have never
known if I didn't catch a glimpse before he swam off. could what ever is going on with him have to
do with jack? a fungus or something?


Answer
Hi Sarena;

It sounds like Jack has a swim bladder issue. It can be caused by constipation so we usually try feeding squished green peas to help them loosen things up a bit. Peas act as a laxative. The swim bladder is an internal organ below the spine that controls buoyancy. It's connected to their digestive system so if they become constipated or there is inflammation in the intestines, the swim bladder can malfunction. Feed the peas and no other foods for 3 or 4 days. "Beast" can have peas too and so can your sucker fish. Goldfish really should have veggies several times a week anyway.

Often, swim bladder issues are also related to water quality. You didn't mention what size tank it is, what the water temperature is or how often you make water changes but it really is important. Goldfish are very messy guys. It's easy to have a waste buildup called nitrate in a goldfish tank. Long term exposure to nitrate and other waste toxins can affect the immune systems of all types of fish. All tanks need a 25% water change and gravel vacuuming once a week every week. More often if the tank is overstocked.

If the tank isn't it's cleanest or is too small for the fish you have, the sucker fish could be developing irritation or infection in his mouth. Sucker fish are also tropical fish. If the temperature tends to be too low for him, he will have immune system problems from that too. Your goldfish are cold water fish. They like their water to be under 72f all the time. Your sucker needs it at least 75f.

Let me know more about your tank, temperature, filtration, maintenance, etc, and and we can go from there with a plan to help keep all your guys in good shape.

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins