Goldfish with Swim Bladder Disorder

[GobyMaster11276]

Hello again, my new goldfish's injuries have now developed into swim bladder disorder, and he is constantly floating horizontally. How can I cure him? Any help is appreciated.

 

[fluttermoth]

First of all, try doing a series of large water changes, at least 50%, daily. Don't feed the fish anything for two days, then only bloodworm or peas (lightly cooked, squeezed out of the 'shell' and chopped or crushed), as they're both slightly laxative which will help clear the fish's gut.

We could do with getting to the root of the problem, however, so we can make sure this doesn't keep happening.

How big is your tank and was it cycled before you added fish? Is it cycled now and do you have any water tests results? What other fish do you have? How often and how large are your water changes? What filtration are you running, and how do you maintain your filter, exactly? What are you feeding the fish on?

 

[GobyMaster11276]

So, the fish are being feed on brand-less flakes that I get from my local aquarium. The pond he was originally put in had been running for about a year prior (with other fish obviously). In the pond, I only have thirteen other goldfish (it's ~300l, maybe bigger) in there, and I have a Fluval 305. This has carbon crystals changed every six weeks, and the propeller (and anything that accumulates in it) are cleaned every three months.

 

[fluttermoth]

If your pond's only 300l, then that's way too many fish! Four or five would be more appropriate. We do have a calculator on this site (http://www.fishforums.net/aquarium-calculator.htm) that you can use to work out the volume. Can you test the water?

Flake isn't a good food for goldfish, as it encourages them to gulp at the surface, which can lead to air accumulating in their digestive system; it doesn't affect all fish, all the time, which might be way only this one fish is affected. I think your sick fish is a fantail? Because of their deformed bodies, they do suffer more from these sorts of issues than normal shaped goldies. A pellet food that you can soak, so it sinks, would be better.