Pearlscale goldfish bladder

Question
I have a small pearlscale goldfish that I rescued from an abandoned apartment where she was kept in a small bowl.  I do not know her treatment other than that.  I've had her almost a year.  When I got her, she would float "bottom up" in the waters.  I put her in a 29 gallon tank, filter system, airation, soak her food prior to feeding, give her shelled peas, and she still floats "bottom up" in the tank.  She just hangs there hour after hour.  She will move around some when I clean the tank or feed her, but she will go back to hanging from her rear end at the top of the water line.  What is wrong with her and how can I help her?  I have tried lowering the water level so she can eat easier (not having to struggle to go to the bottom), added more air to the water, fed her more peas and frozen brine shrimp.  I'm at my wits end and she is stressing me out because I worry so much about her!  I adore this fish and want her to be healthy and happy.  Help!

Answer
Hi Nancy-Jean;

I think you've probably done everything you can do for her, and a great job I must say. The problem is in her breeding and it was exacerbated by her previous owner's abuse and abandonment. Fancy goldfish that have rounder body shapes often have defective swim bladders because there isn't room in the short body for the swim bladder to function properly. It becomes compressed. The swim bladder has two sections or "lobes" that gases must move through in order for it to work properly. The body shapes of round goldfish cause blockage of the tube between the two lobes. The rear lobe in your fish may be over-inflated or one lobe may be filled with fluid. Some vets will actually suck the gas out with a needle and syringe. It's called "aspiration" to remove gas, or "paracentesis" to remove fluid. Another procedure used is to insert sterilized quartz pebbles into the lower rear body cavity of the fish. It adds ballast so the fish can swim more normally. You could check around and see if there is a vet in your area that treats fish and might be able to help. Here is a web page about some of these options that you can show the vet;

http://tinyurl.com/57gpq3

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins