i think my goldfish has brain damage...

Hi! What you are describing could be a few different things, but to me it seems to most likely be swimbladder problem and/or constipation. Your goldfish may "flipover" or float and often have a wobbly swim, or seem to have trouble getting to the bottom. In many cases this can be corrected by fasting the fish for a few days, then feeding the goldfish only peas for a few days after that. Some fish are sensitive to certain foods. For example I have a few goldfish that will flipover if given any sort of pellet food.. But the fish are fine if given fresh veggies or any freeze dried foods or homemade gel foods.. It's a good idea to always supplement your goldies diet with veggies/fruits and give them a varied diet. You can also try soaking any flakes/pellets in water before feeding your fish.. This will allow get rid of any air trapped in the pellets, and it will allow the flakes to sink to the bottom, also eliminating air gulping.

Nitrates can also cause flipover in some sensitive fish.. I've seen fish that will flip if the nitrates go above 5... Have you tested your water recently? That would be something you would want to check..Nitrates can build up fast, especially in overstocked tanks, or tanks that aren't maintained properly. (weekly water changes, etc).

It is possible that your fish has a bacterial infection but I would only consider this in the event that the other suggestions don't help.. And in that case, it would be best if you could post information about your set up, and give test results so that someone can help you further.


Some fish will flip for good, but that fact that yours flips sometimes and is normal sometimes makes me think this is something that can be fixed with some change in diet..

I'm new to this particular forum so if I am stepping on anyones toes, or doing anything wrong, I apologize in advance. I just happened to see this question unanswered.

: )

No problem! The peas are very easy. You can use frozen ones too. Just put some in a cup of tank water and microwave. Then pop them out of their shells. The goldfish really love them!

Also, just curious.. how many fish do you have in the tank? And are they single tailed or fancies?

And all of these fish are in a 30 gallon together?

Fresh peas and frozen peas are both fine. Just cook them either way so they are soft for them to chew, and cut them up so the pieces are small enough for them.

Also, I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news because I see that you are so excited about your goldfish collection, but your tank really is very very overstocked.

A lot of people don't realize it (including myself a few years ago) but goldies require a lot more room than you would think. Many fancy goldfish keepers like to allow at LEAST 10 gallons of water per fancy goldfish.. And on this board I've noticed that 15 gallons per fancy is the recommended minimum. (Which has me rethinking my current setups!) It seems like a lot I know, but believe me it's true..

With the amount of fish you have in the tank, I have no doubt that you are going to be running into issues with water quality... And the space is simply not large enough to allow the goldfish to properly grow and thrive.. Right now they may have what seems to be enough space, but here's the thing.. Goldfish are meant to grow BIG and live long (they can live into their 20's!). If they are not given the proper amount of water, they will become stunted which can cause serious serious issues, especially to their internal organs. They will not grow and they will become more and more susceptible to disease.. Crowded conditions/poor water quality lead to fish stress, which leads to sick fish..

I kept goldfish in bowls for years, and then had 6 fancies in a 29 gallon. Everything seemed fine until it all went wrong and I lost ALL of the fish and I began to look seek help and learned all of this myself..

Even right now, the limited space could be leading to the digestion problems your fish appears to be having which is most likely causing him to float..Is there ANY hope of getting a larger tank, or splitting the fish up? Maybe finding new homes for some of them?