Oranda Goldfish happen to be my favorite breed of fancy
Goldie out there – they remind me of little bobble-heads that waddle around the
tank! However, they are also prone to some pretty serious Goldfish diseases due
to all the line breeding that factored into making them that disproportionate
egg-shape. Their distorted body places them at a very high risk for a major
player when it comes to buoyancy issues – constipation.
Fortunately, there is a really easy cure for Goldfish
constipation! All you need to do is get a hold of some organic green peas.
Things You Will Need
1. Organic peas or equivalent green veggie
2. A small cup
3. A microwave
Step 1
Fast your Goldie for a few days.
Typically, I quit feeding them for around three days. This is a very important step to curing Goldfish constipation - your Goldie is suffering because their diet was too high in protein and not rich enough in fiber. Because of this, they are unable to pass the food through like they normally would. While a short term diet that is high in protein probably will not have this effect, a long term one almost always ends up in a blockage of some kind. Essentially, by fasting them for several days you are ensuring that there won't be additional waste getting blocked up.
Step 2
Slowly begin introducing organic green peas into their diet.
Once you have fasted your Oranda Goldfish for around three days you will then need to introduce a diet that is rich in fiber - organic green peas are perfect for this! I recommend an organic brand because generally these ones do not contain anything other than peas, like salt.
You will need to do a little bit of prep work to get the peas ready, but it really does not take very long. I like to fill up a small cup with some water, place my peas in it, and then microwave them for a few seconds. Doing this will make them easier for your Goldie to both swallow and digest.
After you have microwaved the organic green peas you will then need to shell them. This is a really quick process, and essentially all you are doing is squeezing them out of the outer layer of skin. Once you have shelled the peas you can then cut them up and offer them to your Oranda Goldfish.
Step 3
Observe your Goldies poop for the next few days.
Once you have introduced the organic green peas to their diet you should start seeing long, thick strings of bright green poop. It normally does not take very long for this to happen - in fact, I generally start seeing the healthy poo by the end of the first day or so.
Once you have cleared up your Oranda's constipation issue, you will need to continue implementing a diet that is rich in fiber. If you don't, you will only have the problem reoccur again. If left untreated, Goldfish constipation can become fatal even though it is very easy to prevent in the first place. While this guide was intended for Oranda Goldfish, it can be applied to any of the fancy breeds successfully.
Tips & Warnings
If you followed all of the above instructions and your
Goldfish is still floating upside down then you may have to look a little bit
further into the issue. However, ruling out constipation is a great way to
start simply because it does not involve experimenting with any harsh
medications.
