Goldfish Behavior

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xiliquiern

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Aug 31, 2004
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My sister's goldfish are behaving strangely. At times they appear to struggle to stay underwater, seeming to bob upwards like a cork to the surface. Their rear ends seem to be lighter than the front ends as if filled with air. They are excreting a string of a mucous-like substance with air bubbles in it. During the day, the fish will go to a corner together (always the same corner) and float upside down for several hours and then return to their normal swimming pattern. This has been occuring for appro. 3 weeks. Behavior, aside from the above, is normal and the fish are eating well. Water tests are all okay.

Could this be spawning?

Tank:
6 gal Eclipse
1 plastic plant
1 decoration
2 very small (~1 inch) corys
2 goldfish (we've had them for a little over a year)
 
What are they being fed?

Water quality and diet are contributing factors to what you're describing...

Sounds like they need a varied diet. Thawed shelled peas will clean out their track... add some other fresh veg to their diet and some fruit - live foods such as daphnia or brine shrimp are good, if you can't obtain live food frozen or freeze dried will do.

It's a good idea to soak the offered food in tank water before feeding - especially with dried foods like pellets and flake.

Is the tank heated? Fancies tend to thrive in temps between 74*F to 78*F with supplimental O2.

side note: 6 gal tank is not adequate for goldfish (long term) they should be upgraded to not less than a 20 gal.
 
The fish are getting normal TetraMin tropical flake food.

It's a 10 gallon, not a 6, I was just informed.

I'm sure they could do with a more varied diet and a larger tank, but up until about 3 weeks ago, they showed no symptoms of any sort of malnutrition, crowding, oxygen lack...nothing. They ate vigorsouly and well when they were fed, swam easily and without stress, never floated funny or nipped at each other, never hugged the walls or the bottom. They are very small, I'm not sure what kind they are as my sister cannot remember after the year and then some that she's had them. I think she got them at PetsMart (poor choice, I know) so I'm pretty sure that they aren't anything special. Could it really take that long for malnutrition to set in? A weekly 25-50% water change is done, and the ammonia, nitrite, and pH levels are all normal, as is salt content and the temp is hovering around 76-77ºF.

I'm sorry I'm not able to provide a more detailed account...they are in her room so I pretty much never see them.
 
Sounds like swim bladder - related issues. This is very serious if left untreated/ignored... but if you take care of it very early, you can spare your fish the troubles down the road. Sinking pellets, softer pellets, and freeze-dried/frozen items all help out. Peas should be fed occasionally, and more so if the fish is frequently having poor swim bladder issues.
 
<snip>...and the ammonia, nitrite, and pH levels are all normal, as is salt content...
Click to expand...

What's your definition of "normal"? There is no normal.... ammonia and nitrite NEED to be "0" , pH is either neutral (7) or above/below. Why is there salt in the tank? Are they sick? Is there a nitrite problem? Goldfish are not brackish... ;), what's the salt level?

Yes numbers are important :D

Ok, now that I've drilled you you can go ask your sister :D

[please note the above is not intended to be snippy - just my way - I do not profess to be a hand-holder ;) ]
 
By normal I meant normal for an established goldfish tank as far as I know. 0 ammonia/nitrite, 7 ph, as of now, there is next to no salt left...none has been added in at least 4-5 water changes. When it was added, it was an extremely small amount "because it said so". No more salt though.
 
The fish are getting normal TetraMin tropical flake food.
Click to expand...

Goldfish should be eating...well, goldfish food. The tropical flakes are going to be too rich for the goldfish, which have different dietary and temperature requirements. That may be part of the problem.

What is the nitrATE level in the water? If you don't have a nitrATE test kit bring a sample to your LFS and they should be able to test it for you.
 
I'll test the Nitrates tomorrow. It's 3AM. Better yet...I'll teach my sister how to do it so she can learn. And I am corrected by my sister...they are getting the "TetraFin Goldfish Flakes", not the tropical ones. Sorry about that.
 
Alright, let me recap on some things:

Tank:
10 gallon Eclipse w/ Eclipse Filter

Fish:
2 1.5" (bodylength) goldfish
2 1" corys

Food:
1-2 time a day feeding of TetraFin Goldfish Flakes

Tests:
Ammonia: 0 ppm -*phew*
Nitrite: 0 mg/l
Ph: 7.05 (it's really too close to call..I would almost say it's 7, but not a perfect match)
Nitrate: 100 mg/l :eek: :thud: :sad

I guess that's what happens if you don't test regularly. I've never had a problem with Nitrates before...what should my lil' sis do to save her fishies? :
 
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