goldfish-eggs or dropsy?

Question
hey
i have 5 common goldfish and one recently has got a swollen belly, quite a bit
more so on one side. it has no sign of spiked out scales but im still not sure if
it has dropsy cancer (or other) or is pregnant. sorry, but i dont really know
about the sizes of my tank or pH levels, but its a small one, and all the fish
are about 2 inches. they are also very young, and it is the wrong time of the
year for fish babys isnt it?if it is pregnant could you please tell me what to do
to look after her and her babies, or if she is ill how to look after her and the
other fish in the tank.
thanks

Answer
Good evening, Emma! Thank you for your question.

I appreciate how polite and honest your email was. Can you tell me how long, wide, and tall your tank is? I can figure out how many gallons your tank is with these dimensions...

Since you said your tank is small, I am assuming you probably have a 10 gallon tank (20x10x12), but I hope it is bigger. You see, this is WOEFULLY small for 5 goldfish, it can really only hold one goldfish, even that is questionable. Unless you have a 55 gallon tank (48x13x21) or larger, you really cannot keep this many fish for long...

Did you let your tank cycle? This is an important first step to a healthy aquarium. What it means is that you let healthy nitrifying bacteria develop (on your filter, your gravel, your water) that are going to convert fish waste (ammonia) into something less toxic (nitrate)...it is imperative that you find out about cycling if you do not know about it yet. Your water should test 0 ppm for Nitrite and Ammonia - this is the sign of a cycled tank! Your local fish store can test it for you if you do not have test kits of your own yet.

Do you use a dechlorinator? Sorry if these questions seem basic. Is your goldfish having trouble with keeping his balance? It could be a swim bladder disorder or it could be dropsy. You will have to do some reading online for an ID...

What I CAN tell you, is that this disease is almost certainly caused by poor water quality. It is just not possible to maintain good water quality in a small tank with five goldfish in it, even if they are juveniles right now.

You will need a bigger tank, more filtration...or smaller, less messy fish that do not eat and poop so much. Speaking of this, there is much to be learned about goldfish nutrition, such as in this article titled "Goldfish Mal-Nutrition - or, The Floaty Bloaty Goldfish" here at: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshmalnut.htm

You can also try "Help! My Goldfish is Behaving Strangely!" http://www.aquariumfishwonders.com/aquarium-fish/help-my-goldfish-is-behaving-st...

Without a bigger tank, more filtration (more than likely), or a population decrease, I am sorry to say that your goldfish are not going to be very healthy or live to their full life span...which is up to 10 years in an aquarium!

It is unlikely that your goldfish is pregnant, since, as you mentioned, goldfish do not reproduce in winter. Do you have any Epsom salts? I would try 1 tsp per gallon (try to estimate here) and see if it helps move your fish's bowels, in case constipation is one source of its discomfort. Make sure you use magnesium sulfate, NOT aquarium salt - although maybe one teaspoon of this wouldn't hurt either.

Here are some sites that I have been recommending to goldfish owners. Each one has a wealth of information:

http://www.wetwebmedia.com (A wonderful site I read every day, with a search feature on the main page.)

http://www.kokosgoldfish.com (They have a message board here, as well as links on the left side.)

http://www.goldfishinfo.com (Looks like a good site for general information on goldfish and their care.)

Thank you for your obvious concern about your fish. Do please carry it through...I see a bigger tank, ample water changes, and increased filtration/aeration in your future!

Happy to help,
Nicole