He's a fancy calico fantail goldfish that I named Hotch. I thought he needed a strong name because he has this weird problem and I was hoping it'd help him get over it. I think it's a swim bladder issue, but I'm not sure. He's lived with it since I got him two years ago and he's always been fine I guess, with it. When he swims, he seems to have trouble keeping himself upright - he lists from side to side and his fins move frantically the entire time. Then he seems to tire out and he goes to the corner of the tank where there's the least current and he floats there upside down. He looks dead when he does it. But if I put my finger by the tank and tap a little, he always swims off. Sometimes I see him swimming normally, like the other two fish I have in the tank, like nothing's wrong at all. I was just wondering if anyone had any idea if this was a swim bladder issue or if it's something else, and if there's anything I can do for him.

I've heard that when a fish does that it's constipated . . . I don't remember what was said to do about that exactly, but I remember that there was some medicine or something you could put in the water. If you research it on the internet it might pop up. . .

That's weird...never even thought about that, lol. I'll look it up, thanks.

It does sound like a swim bladder issue (which, ironically, is a little like constipation).

What I'd recommend trying is taking a sample of his tank water (about a cup should do) and using that to thaw out a frozen pea. Once it's thawed, peel the skin off so you have the crumbly centre, and feed that to him (make sure he eats it - but it won't harm your other fish if they get to it first =P). Continue doing this every day or every other day for about a week, and see if it improves any. The pea helps clear out his system.

In the future, avoid feeding your goldfish from the surface of the water. When they go for the food, they tend to gulp at the air, and swallowing too much air is one of the main causes for this. What I did when I kept my fancy goldfish is I'd take the food in between my fingers, submerge my fingers under the surface of the water and release the food from there. That way the food is in the water and they don't have to swim to the surface at all in order to eat. It's okay if it sinks down to the bottom before they get to it - they'll eventually eat it from there, too.

Hopefully this has helped. If you have any other fish-related questions, feel free to sMail me. I worked in the pet care (fish) department of a pet store for five years, and have been keeping a wide variety of different fish types for even longer - so I've done a bit of research on the subject. =)

I don't have this problem I'm just curious. Why a frozen pea and why does it have to be thawed in the tank water?

There's something in peas, kinda like fibre, that helps them digest more effectively. I honestly don't know all the mechanics of it, but it's an often-advised food for goldfish specifically, since they're the ones who more often have this problem. They also eat a primarily plant-based diet, and it's actually a good idea to feed goldfish peas on occasion as a preventative measure.

Thawing it in the tank water is just an easy way to make sure there's no chlorine. The fish will be eating it, so using untreated tap water isn't reccomended. =P

Ooooh I see. That's cool.

I only just found out that you need to feed goldfish a little bit multiple times a day since they can't store food lol

Interesting...a pea. I don't know if we have any, but I can get some. Does it matter if it's fresh or from a can?

The fresher, the better. Canned foods tend to have a little less nutrients than their frozen or fresh counterparts. Also, if you can pick up a small bag of frozen peas, you can keep the bag open in the freezer for quite some time - using them only as you need them. With canned, once it's open they go bad before you can use most of 'em. =)

I didn't think of frozen ones. I hate peas, lol, so we rarely have them around. I'll pick some up tomorrow.

Hahaha Yeah, I hate peas, too. =P