fancy goldfish getting worse

[novav]

hello,
i have recently aquired a 20 gallon freshwater tank holding two fancy goldfish and a koi. they have proper filtration and water changes. i feed flakes twice a day. for the first week or so, they were all fine, but soon i noticed one of the fancies floating upside down shortly after eating. after talking to several people at petco, i was advised that the fish was taking in too much o2 while eating. i began crumbling the flakes and soaking them is water before feeding so that they would sink rather than float. her condition is getting worse, she can harldy keep herself from getting blown around by the filter current. there is no longer a connection between her eating and this happening. is there anything that i can do to correct this situation? please let me know.

[Flower1982]

It sounds like a swim bladder problem.

Here is a link to a very good goldfish forum:
http://www.goldfishparadise.com/

They have very good information about goldfish diseases, including swim bladder problems.

[THE V]

If the fish is looking like a pine cone with it's scales sticking out it could also be dropsy.

If you can post some pic's we can have a better idea of what is going on.

BTW a 20 gallon is really no place for a koi. They will get to be up to 30" or larger when mature. Please find pond for it. 2 fancy goldfish in a 20 gallon is pushing it to the limit as well. When fish are overstocked they usually get ill easily and die early (goldfish can live for 40+ years and koi have been known to live for 200+ years).

[Flaringshutter]

first of all, welcome to AC! and kudos to you for being a good fishy parent and doing some research. :)

it definitely sounds like a swimbladder issue to me. sometimes this is caused by swallowing too much oxygen while eating from the surface, but not always. fancy goldfish are predisposed to having swimbladder problems since their bodies are so distorted from generations of selective breeding to achieve their particular "look."

the first thing you should try is shelled peas. feed your goldfish a few shelled, cooked peas (canned peas are good) every day for two or three days instead of their normal food. no one is quite sure why this works, but often it is enough to get your fish swimming upright again.

secondly, throw out those flakes! fancy goldfish should be fed a slow-sinking pellet food to prevent swimbladder problems. i use Omega One small goldfish pellets, but there are many other good pellets on the market. be sure to buy pellets small enough for your fish to comfortably swallow them.

swimbladder problems can be fixed permanently through surgery, either by removing part of the swimbladder or by surgically inserting inert stones into the belly of the fish.

here is a NOVA flash video that describes where the swimbladder is, how it works, and surgery to fix the swimbladder issues. it even shows you x-rays!
click on the third section labeled "buoyancy disorders" beneath "Rx for fish."

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/3214/04-rx-flash.html

also, start looking for a new home for the koi right now. it will out-compete your fancies for food and koi eventually grow so large it wouldn't even physically fit in a 20 gallon tank. think upwards of two feet long.

[novav]

Thanks to all three of you for your input. The koi is going to be moved into my aunts' pond. i am now feeding pellets and the fancy has shown improvement.

[Flaringshutter]

That's great news! Though swimbladder issues won't ever go away completely unless you take them in for surgery, they can often be successfully managed. Sounds like you're on the right track. Keep us updated! :D

[legendaryfrog]

Hey, in addition to the pellets, why dont you try some homemade food?

Boiled peas (without the skin), are a really healthy and tasty treat for your goldies.

a slice of orange dropped into the tank is also good.

[stephalpha]

I feed my fancies a wide variety of foods. Slow sinking pellets, green seaweed, shelled peas, orange slices etc. I never have a problem with swim bladder. IMO if you feed the right foods in the right amounts you should not have a problem.

[faraz312]

CAn u feed peas and oranges to Goldies!!!! Hey i never new tat, i ll bring them tomarrow and ll aslo try some on mine! Wat else apart from flakes!!

[Flaringshutter]

CAn u feed peas and oranges to Goldies!!!! Hey i never new tat, i ll bring them tomarrow and ll aslo try some on mine! Wat else apart from flakes!!

:welcome: I see you have only a few posts. Welcome to AC!
Yes, you can feed goldfish much, much more than just flakes.
If you only want to feed a pre-processed staple food, pellets are almost always better than flakes. I like Omega One, another poster here likes New Life Spectrum, and I've heard good things about Hikari pellets as well.
As well as pellets, goldfish do very well with romaine lettuce, shelled peas, collard greens, green beans, brine shrimp and bloodworms (live or frozen). Dried seaweed (the kind you buy in the marine section of most LFS, NOT the kind you find on the beach) is also good.
You can feed oranges and other fruit slices. However, fruit tends to foul up the water and really has too much sugar for regular feedings so I'd reserve that only as a treat.