Goldfish swim bladder problem

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April12

April12

AC Members
Oct 10, 2008
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One of my goldfish has been mostly upside-down for about a month now. He can right himself to eat, but as soon as he rests he flips over. He is a young oranda, about 4". I have tried everything I could find online - fasting, feeding peas, switching to a veg-based diet, more frequent water changes. I'm not in a position to try surgery on my goldfish. My question is, what do you think his quality of life is? He doesn't float on the top when he is upside-down, so drying skin is not an issue. I feel so sorry for him.

Water parameters:
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - reaches 10 right before the water change.
pH - 6.8-7.0

At what point do I decide it's more humane to euthanize?
 
tekonus

tekonus

...meh?
Nov 20, 2008
471
1
16
Long Island, NY
Are you using sinking pellets for food? My last goldfish after a while would get like when he ate until about 3 hours afterwards, every time. This was when I was using flakes. I had tried the pea thing you mentioned, but as soon as he would eat it would happen again. It was because he ate so voraciously he seemed to gulp in a LOT of air. I guess this was pressing against his swim bladder. I switched to sinking goldfish pellets and it stopped completely.
 
April12

April12

AC Members
Oct 10, 2008
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Unfortunately, I was using sinking pellets when this started. I have also tried using algae wafers because that keeps them from eating too quickly, but it has not made any difference.
 
tekonus

tekonus

...meh?
Nov 20, 2008
471
1
16
Long Island, NY
I fail to see the reason you were feeding him algae wafers. If you still have the sinking pelets try crushing them down a little (though not too much). They might not be fully wet by the time he eats them and if they have any air bubbles in them that could also cause your problem.

I could also be wrong, and you could have a completely different problem. I am just going by my personal experience.
 
kelly82

kelly82

AC Members
Jun 1, 2007
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Lincolnshire, UK
maybe you could try some gel food, that way theres absolutely no air for him to take in. it does seem that a lot of these fancy goldies have balance problems, i would say if he doesnt seem stressed, and is still eating and managing to get upright some of the time, just keep on as you are. im no expert, but id say if hes not suffering or in pain, and can get upright at least some of the time, theres no need to euthanize.
 
April12

April12

AC Members
Oct 10, 2008
66
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0
The algae wafers were a suggestion from my LFS. The idea was that it was a vegetable-based diet and the fish would have to eat more slowly, limiting the amount of air that they take in.

I'm inclined to think that this is a conformation problem as much as anything else. His condition seems to have worsened some since I first posted. He's has been floating on the surface for the last couple of days. He can still turn himself upright to eat, but it seems to be quite a struggle. I notice his tail is a bit frayed on one side, which makes me think that he is either ending up against the filter intake or the other goldfish are picking on him. I think it might be time to euthanize. :(
 
Flaringshutter

Flaringshutter

Befriend a feeder!
Oct 17, 2006
1,870
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Southern California
April, unfortunately with swimbladder problem like this, where you have tried all the common remedies, the best options are surgery or euthanasia. Many smaller vet schools or colleges will do fish surgery for free or at a very reduced rate as a training exercise, so you may want to call around before you euthanize.
Best of luck.
 
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