Distressed fantail

Question
Hi Robyn,
We have a fantail goldfish that has a small rock stuck in her mouth. She's in an aquarium with 2 other smaller fish. Right now she's just sitting on the bottom of the tank, but will occasionally zip around opening and closing her mouth trying to dislodge the pebble.

I don't know how long the pebble has been in there as I just saw it a few minutes ago when I came in to the room. She was OK about 4 hours ago when I was in here last so it happened within the last 4 hours or so. She's obviously very distressed. She can close her mouth around the entire pebble, but from what I can see, I think it's too big to go through her.

I checked your web site, but didn't see anything about this problem. Is there anything we can do help her?

Answer
Years ago, I had my goldfish get small rocks in their mouths.  They usually got them out right away but a few times, they were in their mouth for a day or two.  If the pebble is still there, you may want to try to remove it.  It will be hard to do without sedation because she'll put up a fight.  You can try though.  Hold her in a wet hands or a damp towel and use tweezers to try to grab the rock.  It may take two people.  The more expert fish handlers first sedate fish with oil of cloves.  I've never done it because I would be too afraid of overdosing.  There are recipes and doses on-line for that.  Depending on where you live, there may be a fish vet near you as well who could work on your fish.  Good luck!