Caligo'sKeeper

I don't expect her to last much longer. She's been down on the bottom on her side for two days, she can't swim at all but is still breathing... She was having a problem where she floated everytime she ate usually upside down, I assume swim bladder problem, and it happened no matter what I fed her and even if I soaked it first. I also noticed a dark spot on her side (beneath the scales that got bigger not long ago... today her scales look like they are sticking up... is this dropsy? or part of the dark spot most likely a tumor? I feel really bad, I don't know what to do for her (

Meenu

I don't know about fish diseases, I just want to say I am so sorry about Caligo.

iloveengl

I'm sorry I wish I knew how to help....

Lucy

I'm so sorry your fish isn't feeling well. Maybe if you post a pic someone can help?

Tony G.

Sorry she isnt feeling well If you posted a picture i'm sure some of us could help you know what's wrong. I will do my best to help you in any way i can.

a couple questions:

Did you fast her? if so how long?

How big is she/he?

How long have you had her for?

What do you feed her and how much?

Any sudden changes in water quality recently(like mini cycles, pH changes, etc)

What does the growth look like (the black one)?

How big is it?

Is her belly sunken inward?

Is she pooing?

Any physical damage to her wen, gills, face, etc? (sometimes they can get it because they drag along the gravel)


some of these questions may help us know and guide you. I am really sorry she isnt feeling well.

Best wishes.

gremlin

It almost sounds like she has a twist in her innards. Does she poop? and is it normal? Does she try to eat? I would say it may be either a twist in her innards (called bloat in land animals) or an injury of some sort. It wouldn't take much for her to have injured herself. Unfortunately, the very nature of how fancy goldfish are built make them extra susceptible to internal injuries. The fact that she was having problems every time she ate, makes me think a kink in her intestines or bowels. If something kinked or twisted, then ruptured, that could also explain the dark spot. Do you remember when you first saw the dark spot? How long from the time she was having issues with floating upside down until the dark spot appeared? Was there some time of normal behaviour between the two episodes? or did she go right from swimming upside down to laying on the bottom and a dark spot? Some type of a time line may help to figure out if these are related or completely different issues.

Caligo'sKeeper

Thanks for all of your replies... I appreciate it. unfortunately Caligo died during the night.

Tony G.

I'm so sorry to hear that

Caligo'sKeeper

Thanks Tony.

Caligo'sKeeper

Poor Caligo has passed on I went back and looked at the dates I made posts on here about it. She started having trouble after eating in March of 09 that's when I strarted feeding her peas and no more pellets, I posted about the floating after eating in october so that's when that started, november 21st I noticed a dark spot which she had had for a while (I thought it was a dark scale for a while b/c it was right next to a colored spot on her) had gotten bigger and spread into the white, it was a dark spot under the scales. She hadn't had a very good appetite lately, she did eat but would float and sit on the bottom alternately. She last ate a few days ago (flake food and squished deshelled peas) before becoming ill and resting on the bottom on her side the day before yesterday, and when I got up at 7 this AM, I saw she had passed.

I want to understand what happened to her. I looked at her once I took her out of the aquarium, she was bloated and I could def. see a noticable bulge where the dark spot was, she was kind of bent over and the other side was a little sunken it looked like. I got her in febuary of 2003. She was 6 years old. I wish I knew what caused her to die.

gremlin

A bulge where the dark spot was could very well be an internal injury or rupture of some sort. It could also have been a tumor that pressed on her internal organs as it grew. Bulgy on one side and sunken on the other makes me think that whatever the issue, it was preventing her from getting any nutrition from her food. It may have been the change in her diet that triggered something, but there is no way of knowing for sure unless you have a necropsy performed. Even then, you may not be able to find out since necropsies on fish are not very common. I'm very sorry that you had to lose her this way, but just try to remember that she had a happy life and you did what you could to make sure she was happy.