fancy goldfish upside down

Question
I dearly love my fancy goldfish, "Miracle". He hatched in my tank, purely by accident. He's 4 years old now and was healthy until I started putting little pieces of orange in the tank at the advice of my local pet store. The goldfish all loved it. However, he began swimming upside down. He CAN right himself with effort, but when he relaxes, he's back upside down. Over the past few months I've tried fasting, peas, epsom salts. I was told to try blood worms and a change of diet. I do flakes, which I soak first to prevent constipation. I'm at a loss. He looks pretty happy, but I know he's tired of being upside down. Plus I feel really bad for him. Can you help me? Thanks. Sherryl  

Answer
Hello Sherryl-

Sounds like an advanced swim bladder problem. If you've tried peas, salts, fasting, and diet changes, the problem most likely has a deeper root and is not gastrointestinal. As fish get older, they are more prone to swim bladder failure.

There's really not much to do, short of surgery or aspiration of the swim bladder. If, by the rare chance the problem is caused by bacteria, there are a few options still open to you.

Some people have used antibiotics with success, so if Miracle is still eating, you can purchase a medicated food to try. These can be expensive, however. Kanacyn, by Aquatronics, is another option you can look at.

I hope this is useful to you, and I hope Miracle is able to recover.
-Amber Worman