Goldfish is upside down with 90 degree tail twist

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momoftoad

Registered Member
Jan 11, 2010
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My goldfish has been with me for about 5 years and has generally been trouble free - no diseases etc. Two days ago I did a half water change (10 gallon tank I think) and added my regular Jungle Tank buddies water safe plus and ammonia clear, and for some unknown reason I thought I should add a fungus clear tablet too. I also added a water clearing agent, and anti -algae treatment which I do regularily when I do a water change. The only new thing I did was the fungus clear. The tank is a typical freshwater cold tank with carbon filtration system.

Now, the fish is upside down, in a corner with it's tail twisted at about 90 degrees to body. I am worried that it may die. Was is the fungus clear? should I do a complete tank cleanout and restart?

I could really use advice!
 

Turbosaurus

AC Members
Dec 26, 2008
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Yonkers, NY
Who knows exactly what it was- but if I were you (and this is advice coming from a person with 20 years experience and 11 currently running high tech planted tanks)
I would do an immidiate 50% W/C- NO new additives other than dechlor (unless you've got super funky tap water readings that include ammonia or really high nitrates.)

I have thousands of dollars and years of experience wasted that taught me less is more. Clean water with the fewest additives is the best remidy for whatever ails ya- or rather whatever ails your fish. If we can identify a specific cause then treatment might be necessary- but in the mean time, if you think something is wonky- change the water.
 

jbradt

this is bat country
May 9, 2008
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outback, NY
Real Name
I. P. Daily
Who knows exactly what it was- but if I were you (and this is advice coming from a person with 20 years experience and 11 currently running high tech planted tanks)
I would do an immidiate 50% W/C- NO new additives other than dechlor (unless you've got super funky tap water readings that include ammonia or really high nitrates.)

I have thousands of dollars and years of experience wasted that taught me less is more. Clean water with the fewest additives is the best remidy for whatever ails ya- or rather whatever ails your fish. If we can identify a specific cause then treatment might be necessary- but in the mean time, if you think something is wonky- change the water.
I agree totally. The fewer additives you can put in your water, the better. PWCs are your friends!
 

Lupin

Registered Member
Sep 21, 2006
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Lupin Information Super Highway/Goldfish Informati
thegab.org
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Paul
:welcome: to AC!

I am very sorry you have issues with your fish. I'll try to address the issues one by one to make it easy to understand what needs to be done.

I would personally do another large water change to remove all the chemicals you added and add carbon in your filter. My first question would be, why did you add the fungus clear tabs? Unless the fish has been afflicted by anything bad particularly fungal and bacterial infections, please refrain from dosing any meds without assessing the right problem and causes. A lot of medicines are carcinogenic and lethal for use even towards healthy fish. They may also disrupt or cause organ malfunctioning if improperly used. It is not surprising USA is fast approaching the med restriction similar to Australia and UK where even antibiotics and anthelmintics can no longer be bought without prescriptions required, whether in pharmacies or vets. If a fish has shown no health problem, there is realy no need for you to treat it with anything. Do not attempt to fix what is not broken.

If you are unsure of what issue you are dealing with, please try to assess correctly and carefully the water quality, foods used, tank size, tank maintenance regimen and many other variables. If in doubt, do an internet search across reliable articles and abstracts for goldfish health issues or at least ask the forums for proper diagnosis and advice. I would not entrust the petstores to help in this situation. More often than not, they will only point you in the wrong direction and you end up wasting your time following their advice.

Secondly, your tank unfortunately is too small for a fancy goldfish. Could you please post photos of the fish (if unsure of the variety)? How about a full tank shot? I personally would recommend a 20g minimum for a single fancy goldfish. The general guideline is 10g per fish but it does not mean anything smaller than a 20g is quite appropriate for them. There is very limited space for them to swim nor dilute the ammonia and nitrite, both substances contributed by their wastes. Fancy goldfish in general particularly orandas, ryukins and ranchus, can garner 8" in adult size if well cared for. Many goldfish unfortunately end up stunted as a result of cramped quarters and inadequate basic needs.

Concerning the water quality as another probable issue especially as high nitrate sometimes contributes to buoyancy issues, I would advise investing in API liquid master test kit. Avoid test strips as much as possible as they are grossly inaccurate oftentimes. A master test kit should last you a year or two. Test for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH and list down the actual results once you have them.

What do you feed your fish? Many foods such as flakes, floating pellets and anything else that contains too much grains can cause the fish to float as all three types add up air as the fish ingests them. I would personally advise avoiding all three altogether as much as possible. If possible, try to give your fish a meal of peas and shrimps to purge the foods that may contribute to the buoyancy issues. If possible, add 1/8 teaspoon of epsom salt per 10g as well. This along with series of water changes is your best corrective action against this particular buoyancy issue situation.

Hope this helps. If you have any more questions, please do not hesitate to ask.:)
 

momoftoad

Registered Member
Jan 11, 2010
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0
Thanks so much for the replies! I have done a 50% water change as recommended and only put in the declor tab. I thought I should wait for a few hours before doing anything else. I need to buy a new carbon filter and will change that soon too. Do I need to do a complete clean and restart? I've had to do this about 3 times as my youngest had "helped" feed the fish and dumped the whole jar of food in!

I have not fed today as poor 'scooby' is upside down and nose into the gravel. I scooted him out of the corner, but he seems unable to rise to the surface and the food is floating.

Can you advise as to how to feed with peas? Thawed frozen peas? Dried rehydrated peas? I can't do shrimp as my youngest is very allergic to shellfish.

As to why I did the antifungal, I guess I was having a stupid moment. I've never done one before as he has never seemed unhealthy until now. I guess I was thinking preventative maintenance...

I do know that the tank is too small for the size of the fish. It is one of those fancy tailed ones with regular eyes, not bulgy. I'll try to get a picture on ASAP. I talked to my local pet store (mom and pop style, not chain) about selling him back to them and getting something smaller, but they practically wanted me to pay them to do it! I'm not in a position to get a bigger tank right now. I only change the water once every 4-6 weeks (20% usually) but perhaps I should do it more frequently to avoid nitrate buildup.
 

Jill-O

All American Girl (all grown up)
Hi --

It sounds like there's been some really good advice given.

I just wanted to add reading your reply that changing 20% of the water once every 4-6 weeks is not nearly enough. With our goldfish (in much bigger tanks), we do 50-75% water changes 2x a week.

Good luck with your fish. I hope all turns out well...

Jill
 
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