fish with swim bladder disease?
i think my fancy goldfish has swim bladder disease. she has always stays around the bottom of the tank since i got her, but i think she has deformed fins, as they droop so much, i dnt think she can swim properly because of it. but lately i have noticed her at the bottom of the tank, with her backside lifted up. is there anything i can do that wont harm the other fish i have in the tank?
Update:i bought her as a fantail goldfish, i know veiltails have drooopy tails and fins, but i think they have enough rigidness to be able to use fins. my one just...hangs lol and the fin always droops to the side
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Swim bladder issues make the fish unable to stay down. They float to the top and often flip right over upside down. One goldfish requires a 20 gallon tank with 10 more gallons for each additional fish. Crowding them will lead to stunting, organ failure and very poor water quality.
http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/care.html
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If this really is swim bladder there is something very easy you can do that won't harm the other fish in the tank:
Stop feeding her for 2 days. Don't feed her anything at all. Don't put any food in the tank - your other fish will be perfectly fine without food for 2 days. Then, on the 3rd and 4th day feed her squished up defrosted peas (squeeze them gently to remove the outer skin then squish up the insides a bit and drop it in the tank). Again, your other fish will be fine eating the peas along with her.
This will help clean out her digestive system and help her swim bladder settle back down to normal.
Swim bladder can just affect fish occasionally, in which case as long as it's fixed it's nothing to worry about. However, if it keeps happening think about switching your food to something that sinks rather than floats as this will help.
However, it's also a really good idea to test your water for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates whenever your fish look off colour. You can get test kits cheaply from your local fish shop. Top notch water quality is the number one thing you can do to keep your fish healthy so if you don't already, get a kit and start testing your water.
Good luck!
Firstly when cleaning your tank out you should never remove all of the water completely and then move your fish to another tank.. i work for pets @ home in the uk.. and we always advise to take 20% of the water away.. and only 20% never any more than that you can kill your fish through stress doing the process you have taken.. Yes the water de-chlorinates itself but it all depends on the size of the tank.. small tanks can take 24hours middle size tanks 3 days big tanks a week to two weeks.. ideally you need to get some de-chlorinator and get your fish in its proper tank and suitible water before it dies.. Have you treated your fish for its swim bladder? Aquarium salt is an option .. or the insides of frozen peas .. good luck with it all = )