General Chat

Can anyone out there give any advice about this?

I have two goldfish who are about 3 - 4 years old. They are kept together in one tank. Over the last few months one of them has got very fat and it seems to be affecting its swim bladder as it is sometimes found lying on its back. It seems fine in all other ways and doesn't seem to eat any more or less than the other one.

I have been using 'Disease Safe' in the tank but it doesn't seem to make any difference.

Has anyone come across this before?

old remedy - was a small pinch of epsom salts.

Here are a couple of solutions
Q: Why is my goldfish bloated?
With normal fish, bloating is usually a sign of serious illnes. However, fancy goldfish tend to have problems with constipation because of the shape of their bodies. Constipated goldfish bloat, fail to defecate, and sometimes have trouble swimming. Constipation can be usually be remedied by feeding cooked peas squeezed out of their skin, daphnia (frozen is fine), or with a 15 minute soak in 1 tsp/gallon epsom salt. If your goldfish is prone to consipation, feed it peas regularly.

Why is my goldfish floating, swimming upside-down, or leaning to one side?
Fancy Goldfish, due to extensive line breeding for appearances, are prone to difficulties keeping their balance or orientation, especially as they get older. This is due to the non-optimal location of their swim bladder (too low or far backward). Swimming problems may first appear shortly after a meal, as air trapped in the stomach causes the fish some difficulty. In all but the most extreme cases, the use of sinking pellets or pre-soaked food usually alleviates the symptoms. For fish that are extremely sensitive to air trapped in pelleted foods, some goldfish keepers make homemade gel foods.
In extreme cases, fish have been known to flip around and spend the remainder of their lives upside down. Fortunately, their quality of life appears unaffected. If the swimming problems are not triggered by meals and not helped by changes in diet, your fish may have a swim bladder infection. Swim bladder infections can sometimes be cured with antibiotic foods.

I have seen it before and the fish lived upside down for quite a while

Thanks very much. I will give those suggestions a try.