fish pregnancy, or bloating?

Question
I've had my tank up for a year now, its a 10 gal. I have 6 fish, all different types of goldfish (mainly fantails). One of them has been laying on the bottom of the tank (its not dead it still breathing) but it seems bloated and its been like that for almost a week now and I was wondering if it was about to lay eggs or has something wrong with it. (not sure if this helps but it seems like the belly is extremely soft and bumpy compared to my other fish) advice needed and would be greatly appreciated!!

Answer
Hi Candice;

It is a very sick fish indeed. It is dying I'm afraid. The bloating and lethargy indicate organ failure so there really isn't any more that you can do. Separate the fish to another container to avoid it being picked on by the other fish. You could try antibiotics like Maracyn 2 or Kanacyn, but it probably won't help. I wish I had better news for you.

Six is quite a lot of goldfish for a 10 gallon tank. They really should be in at least a 30 gallon. If they have not grown to at least 3 inches in size by now (bodies only), it means they are going to start having more health problems like this poor fish is. Goldfish get to be 6 to 8 inches long and they live to be 10 years or more. In a tank too small, they stop growing and die of overcrowding stress at a younger age than they should. For now, change at least 25% of the water every week while vacuuming the gravel. This will hopefully keep them in healthier condition until they are in a larger tank. Goldfish are very messy little fellas and need extra help to stay clean and healthy.

Followups welcome

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins

Come on over and join us on the freshwater fish forum at About.com to get even more information too;
http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/questionsanswers/a/naavigateforum.htm

My member name is ChrisR62. See You There!