Goldfish fed peas yet STILL upside down :(

Question
QUESTION: Hey there, I have a goldfish (approx 15cms long, from head to end of tail, poss fantail goldfish?? and approx 4cms wide - hard to measure when swimming hehe!)so she is very big, and definately constipated or full of gas. However, i have read online advice and fed her green cooked peas minus the shells for the last 10 days at least yet nothing seems to have changed. She has had this before but came right. I am having to handfeed her each morning becasue she cant get to the bottom of the tank to feed, nor eat anything floating. I have a digital photo if you want to see a pic of her? Any advice? She and her tankmate are at least 10 years old and their tank is 60cms X 29.5cms (not sure how many gallon that is?) Thanks! :)

ANSWER: Hi Lisa;

Fast her for 3 days (no food at all for 3 days) and then feed her the peas only and no other foods. But also add one little grain of epsom salt in one of the peas once per day. Epsom acts as a laxative.

Goldfish, especially the fantailed types with more round bodies, often have genetic deformities of the swim bladder. The peas will sometimes help but the problem will often persist in some fish. Here is more about it;

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

I hope she gets better...

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins

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QUESTION: Hi again, Chris :)

I fasted Goldie, and fed her epsom salts, but thre has been no change until yesterday - I arrived home and she was not floating up the top of the tank where she has been for months, but was down the bottom of the tank - but still upside down.

It looks as if she cant stay up now, and she takes turns to wave one "arm" fin to keep herself from lying on the bottom, whcih would be uncomfortable because she is arched backwards so her eye would touch the stones. Im thinking she wont last long like this at all :(

Her tankmate looks depressed, and I feel helpless to help her. Any suggestions? I have taken a digital photo if you want to see her? her scales are all open (cant think of a better way of describing it) and not sure if this is because she is still very bloated or if she is desperate for oxygen??

Thanks in advance! :)

ANSWER: Hi Lisa;

She may have a genetic deformity of her swim bladder. It's common in fancy goldfish as they are bred to have rounded body shapes. There really isn't anything you can do about that I'm afraid. As a fish with deformed swim bladder grows larger the buoyancy problem just becomes worse because the swim bladder is compressed more and more. There are vets who treat these fish and they can insert small pebbles into the body cavity down low so the fish can stay upright. But, it sounds like she has other internal problems too though if her scales are distended. The "pine cone" look is a sign that there is fluid buildup, usually from kidney failure. Poor thing. Here are two articles you can look through for more information on the surgery as well as dropsy;

http://www.koivet.com/flipover/basics.html

http://badmanstropicalfish.com/articles/article24.html

I wish I could help more...

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks Chris,

I forgot to mention: her faeces appear to be encased in a clear tube-like substance. Is hard to explain fully, but sometimes the tube is clear, sometimes it has dark (what i presumed was her faeces) inside it. Is this normal for a goldfish - or is it possible she has a worm (and would that be the problem, maybe)?

Thanks again for your help. I had a good cry last night. I know she's "just a fish" but I love all of God's creatures, no matter what they are!

Thanks again...

Answer
Hi Lisa;

Our pet fish are our little friends. It's perfectly understandable to have feelings for them. I wonder about people who don't shed a tear now and then over any animal that is suffering, no matter how small or "wet" they are.

The clear stuff in her feces could be mucous. It's possible she has a digestive system infection that is causing it to show up in her feces. You might try giving her an antibiotic food. If you live in the UK or any other country that restricts the availability of antibiotics, you may not be able to get it at all though. There are some available at many fish stores here in the US. There used to be a medicated flake but if you can only find medicated pellets that's okay too. Just crush them up and soak in a little tank water before feeding. You can even make your own if you can't find it anywhere. Below is a link to a page with a recipe at the very bottom. The one thing I would change about it is to cool the mixture before adding the medication.

http://www.aquariumhobbyist.com/artoffishkeeping/disease.html

If you are unable to find antibiotics in fish stores where you live you could try natural remedies such as garlic. Just mix some dried garlic powder in the homemade gel food instead of the antibiotic.

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins