Shiwi

Hello everyone!

I'm still new here, so I'm sorry if I post anything wrong, but please hang in there with me! (Oh and.. I'm Swedish, so apologies if any terms I use are confusing! )

Nearly a year ago me and my boyfriend got my little sister a much-asked birthday present; a goldfish.
We bought a 5 liter bowl (yes, I know..bowl..) green grain and two plants.
We went to the pet store and saw all kinds of tiny wee little goldfishies... even one with a Mohawk!
We thought that one was perfect... But instead, the shopkeeper gave us a somewhat older looking bigger 'koi'-colored goldfish instead.
Just as happy we brought him home, my boyfriend keeping the little fishie warm under his coat because it was freezing! (New years eve, ofcourse!)
We settled him in that same day, and he seemed very happy.
He was named Sushi by my happier-than-happy little sister.
He ended up on a little cabin in my sister's room, and changed the tank water regularly to keep it as clean as possible.
The bowl eventually ended up on the kitchen table though.

We just moved him to a bigger tank this week (54 liter) and he seems to be quite a bit more lively, but he still has the upside down problem.
I was wondering if there could be any other things causing this, so I was really curious if it was maybe species-specific.. But I can't find seem to find out what type of goldfish he is!
He seems a little lonely, and I want to get other fish-friends for him.. But we need to sort out his health first, I think.
The new tank's temperature is 22.9 Celcius, has proper filtering and everything that comes with it. Except a heating element, we left that one out.
I'm new to this, but my mother's had tanks before, so we put everything up together.

It's probably really obvious what kind of goldfish exactly he is, but we're all getting confused by his tail.
We would really appreciate it if anyone could help us out!
Sorry for the huuuge chunk of text, but thanks for reading!

Ofcourse, before I forget, the pictures!
It'd be kinda hard to tell what he is otherwise.. haha!


Sushi 1
Sushi 2
Sushi 3

And one where he does his "upside down" thing.
Sushi Upside Down

Thanks in advance for answering, and nice to meet you everyone!
Shiwi and the rest of the big fish-loving family~!

snakestorm526

if I am not mistaken, he is a ryukin goldfish... however, I am not sure what may be causing him to swim upside down

Tony G.

Welcome to Fishlore!
You have a very handsome Ryukin! otherwise known as a Fantail goldfish.
Upside down behavior is a problem with over feeding. Its called swim bladder disease(its not really a disease, its just called that ) YOu can fix it very easily. Just fast him for 3 days, and feed him a deshelled pea (make sure you cut it so that its the size of his eye)
This should improve it.

Lucy

Welcome to FishLore!
Your post was very clear. If something is in the wrong section one of the mods will move it.
If you want to find a thread you started just look under My Threads found at the top of the page.

If it's swim bladder it's more of a symptom. Sometimes cause by eating flakes or poor water conditions.
Although I agree with Tony's recommended treatment, I'm sorry to say not all fish recover from it.

Since you just started the tank, it would be a good idea to learn about the Nitrogen Cycle

Best of luck, I hope he gets better soon.

gremlin

Sushi looks more like a Fantail than a Ryukin. The ryukin has a more pronounced hump on it's back than the Fantail.

Here is a link that has the different types of fancy goldies.
http://www.desktopgoldfish.com/goldf...l&fish=Fantail

As for the floating upside down - it does sound like swim bladder issues. Usually caused by the goldie swallowing large amounts of air when feeding. Since fishies can't burp, it sits in their bellies until they can pass it. The pieces of pea should help Sushi do so. I prefer feeding a pelleted diet. They come either floating or sinking. The floating pellets actually float just under the surface of the water. This way the goldie can get the food without having to suck it off the surface of the water (getting a slurp of air at the same time). I prefer floating because they are easier to remove if you accidentally over feed. They also make it easier to tell if the goldie is actually eating them. The sinking ones can get lost in the substrate.

aquarist48

Hello Shiwi and Welcome to Fish Lore. Your sister has a "beautiful" gold fish! Sorry to hear that it isn't quiet feeling up to par. Great advice above that I would like to elaborate a little more on.

Feeding peas: Peas act like a laxative for the fish. High in protein and can be fed to your fish once or twice a week as a treat. It may take a few feeding times before he realizes that it's actually food. It will help him to pass the gas that is causing him to be bloated. Too, sadly, as stated above not all fish will recover from this.
What I recommend is thawed, frozen peas or fresh ones. Not ones from cans that contain salt. Boil them just a minute to heat them up. Slice them into sizes about the size of one of his eyes. Remove the skin from the pea.

Goldfish Caresheet
You may find this link very helpful.

Wishing you and your fish the best. I hope you enjoy the site! Please keep us posted on Sushi's progress!
Ken

Shiwi

Thank you everyone, for replying to me!
I really got alot of information out of all the replies, and it's all very interesting to know!

I already read alot about goldfishes, but there are so many sites all saying different things.
Especially about the different kinds of goldfish!

Since he has been in his new tank, the water's been warmer because of the lamp on the cap. It's an energy-saving lamp which radiates alot of heat somehow, it warms up the water around 24 degrees Celsius. (75.2 Fahrenheit?)
I read that although goldfish can tolerate it, they apparently don't thrive in such warm water... But Sushi really seems to. He used to lay at the bottom of the fish-bowl all day long and barely moved. Maybe it was because the bowl didn't have a filter, but we refreshed the water really regularly and it did have a bubbler in it for extra oxygen, so I'm thinking it was the cold water.
He's much more active now. That must be a good sign, right?

I've been doing alot of reading! Especially on the nitrogen cycle. It's very interesting to know about, and I'm sure it will be really helpful information!
I've also read alot of other goldfish facts.. Makes me appreciate the little guy so much more!

As for the Swim Bladder disease... We put Sushi on a diet and will try the pea-method. We have to at least try I think, if it's got a chance of being cured!
But again, since he's been in his big tank, he doesn't nearly tumble around as much anymore. :O
I'm very curious what he will do with the pea...And what will happen afterwards!
It's quite a surprise really, we didn't imagine to see such a big difference. We're all happy.

We've convinced my little sister to get another goldfish, as the tank will eventually be moving to her room once she gets a better table/closet to put it on. Such a 'big' tank for just one fishie.. We all find it a little sad.
She was very happy to find out it was a Ryukin/Fantail though! (As were all of us!)
So hopefully she will find a good friend for him.

Now we're wondering though- the pet store told us only to feed him once every two days. We always mixed his flakes with water so they'd sink and he wouldn't be able to eat any air. (We tried pallets, the floating ones, but he doesn't eat them.. and after about 4 days of trying, we decided to go back to flakes instead.)
How can he be over fed ? And how often does everyone here feed their goldfish?


Thanks again everyone! We're all very grateful for all the helpful answers!

peacemaker92

WELCOME TO FISHLORE!

Just a kind reminder and note, please fill in your aquarium info so that members will know about your tank without asking too many questions

Overfeeding is when you feed an amount bigger than the size of his stomach. There's a rule of thumb that all fish should be fed an amount the size of their eye because the size of their stomach is almost like the size of their eye. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong or if I'm not making any sense... LOL

It's okay that you feed your golfish once every two days. There's no harm to it.

Hope to see photos of your pretty goldfish and his tank when you get the chance Good luck and keep us updated.

gremlin

It would be good to try to switch him to the pellets. They are a cleaner method of feeding as they do not dissolve the way the flakes do. He may not realize they are food yet. You could give him one piece of flake and one pellet and leave it there for a while. He will eventually get curious about the strange thing floating in his tank and try it out. Once a day is fine, just feed one or two pieces of flake or one or two pellets at a time. Once he does get used to the pellets, you might even be able to teach him to take the pellets from your fingers.

As for the temperature, the fancy goldfish prefer a more stable temp than the commons, comets, and shubunkins. Your temp is fine. When the temperature is in the mid to low 60's (farenheit) or above the upper 70's, the goldies are usually less active. Upper 60's to upper 70's seems to be the preferred temp (at least in my pond).

Your prior post shows that he is in a 54 litre tank, right? That is about 14 gallons. I know it may seem like a large tank for just one fish, but it really is too small for a permanent home. He may be fine for a while, especially if you keep up with the water changes. If you want to get him a friend, then you really need to get at least a 30 gallon (113 litres) tank for the two of them. With the fancy goldies, you need to allow 75 litres for the first goldie and 37-38 litres for each additional goldie. Goldies are such large waste producers, that they need the extra water. They also get large enough that they need the swimming room. Fancy goldies can reach up to 12 inches in length.

I am looking forward to seeing pics of Sushi in his current home! He is such a cutie!