Fantail question

[astronatus]

Goldfish are cold water fish, right?

My fantail is looking bloated and is sitting on the bottom a lot. Still alert and eating, but Im worried about his sluggishness. Is this a swim bladder problem or something else? Thanks

Scales are flat, not distended, his bloating is symmetrical, if that helps

 

[DeLgAdO]

whats his diet?

 

[guppy]

Could be fat, could be renal failure, could even be sytemic septicemia, Try an unheated tank and an antibiotic based goldfish or koi food.
Like Delgado asks, what is the diet, foods meant for tropicals are to rich for goldfish and lead to fatty build up leading to problems, A intestinal blockage can lead to perferatitions of the gut that lead to septicemia, that leads to generalised bloating, organ failure and death. Curing the bacterial infection (usually gram-negative) and changing the diet including feeding less with a higher % of roughage can sometimes save the fish.

 

[astronatus]

I've been alternating goldfish crumbles with goldfish flakes.

I also add poached zucchini and peas and sometimes spinach leaves. The only thing fatty would be occasional chopped earthworms or shrimp. That is probably only once or twice per week. Could that be doing it? His tankmates dont seem to have any problems...

 

[guppy]

Doesn't sound like fat then, probably not flukes either. It could have a bacterial infection, I think yor best bet is to check with some of the Koi websites as they will be best prepare on how to deal withit.

 

[elusiveguy]

As for goldfish being "coldwater" fish, I think it is better to keep them in heated tanks around 70 degrees. This is why some koi owners winter their fish indoors or heat the pond. I beleive this is true because the only time I have had koi die was in the spring time when the water got warmer. This really confused me when I bought fish and read online about "coldwater" fish when my dad who lived in cambodia had goldfish and angelfish in the same tank. It gets really hot there too.

 

[mbhw]

What are the water parameters? Fancy goldfish tend to get sensitive to PH spikes in my experience.

A good thing to do is test the tap water you are using for changes as well. Make sure the PH matches, and test your water in general to see if something might be wrong.

Also, a lot of fancy goldfish being sold are of poor quality, and have genetics against them. I'd avoid the chain stores and look to the small specialist for goldies if you are serious about them.

 

[guppy]

Mbhw has it right about low quality fancies from chain stores, the price reflects the way they are raised, ther are many goldfish fancier societies that do international shows and some of their fancies run to thousands of dollars and have pedigrees that run back for decades.

 

[TigerAro]

Fancy goldfish get swim bladder problems extremely easily. 1, their swim bladder is in an irregular shape, and when they gulp air at the surface to get the flakes cause them to become bloated with air. Try feeding flakes by putting them under water, so they sink slowly, and they can get the food without the air.

 

[ChickenTeeth]

Swimbladder disorders are cuased by various factors, including sudden changes in temperature, although other factors, such as microbial infection, maybe involved in some instances. Obvious symptoms, the fish usually appears in reasonable condition, it experiences difficulty in maintaining its position in the water. Swimbladder disease often occurs in previously healthy fish. The fancy varieties seem more prone. The exact cause of this problem is poorly understood, therefore a reliable treatment is difficult. Removing the fish to a treatment tank containing shallow water about 5 deg warmer than the stock tank usually brings an improvement. Treating the isolation tank with a broad spectrum anti-biotic such as erythromycin and/or salt 1gm/litre maybe worthwhile. Otherwise the fish may have to be humanly put to sleep.