Not Recovering From Swim Bladder Disease

Hey everyone, need some advice here.

I’ve had my goldfish for several years now, they’ve all been thriving beautifully. Unfortunately, though, one of my fish has suddenly come down with what appears to me to be swim bladder disease. She has a hard time righting herself and swimming around. When I nudge her, I can get her up for a little bit, and she swims fine, but the second she decides to stop moving, she flips back over. When she’s not swimming she’s laying on her side or her back at the bottom of the tank. This has been for about a week now. No one else in the tank is behaving like this.

Her fins are not clamped and she does not appear sick in any other way. I checked my water parameters and they are all perfect, but I did a water change anyways just to be safe. I made the fish fast and then fed them peas, that’s what I usually do when someone’s showing signs of swim bladder disease, and it fixes them right back up. Unfortunately though it’s not working this time.

My question is, is this what I really think it is? Will it ever get better? If she doesn’t start getting better, is euthanasia something I should do for her? I can hardly imagine living like this is good for her.

 

How long was the fast? Did she improve and then get sick again? What is the regular diet? Perfect parameters include nitrates under 40? Ample oxygenation? Before euthanasia it might be worth treating it like an internal infection with a medicated food with metroplex and kanaplex. Maybe it's a physical deformity rather than caused by disease, but if we are talking end-of-life decisions, treatment attempts are on the menu. We are talking fancy goldfish right? They sometimes need some special attention to stave off this issue.

 

Also meant to ask if it still makes effort to eat at this point. Any pictures avaiable?

 

Also meant to ask if it still makes effort to eat at this point. Any pictures avaiable?

Oh, yes, I’m an idiot, forgot to mention she is indeed a fancy. Calico colored. And yes, all my parameters are good, no nitrates or ammonia. She is still eating voraciously when I offer food, so I feel frustrated because other than not being able to stay upright, she seems fine. I feed them a combination of sinking pellets, veggies, and their favorite thing- bloodworms and brine shrimp.

I can’t post pics, I’m on mobile... but like I said otherwise she looks fine. No missing scales, no clamped fins, no ripped up fins, bloating, anything... just laying on her side or back like she’s dead, occasionally getting up and swimming around normally... then laying back down.

I just don’t understand though... if it was a physical deformity wouldn’t it have happened a while ago? I’ve had these fish for quite a while now (several years) and I just find it odd that NOW this is happening.

Can you explain to me what the medicated foods do? I’ve never had to use them before so I just want to know what I’d be attempting to do with them.

edit: the fast was for 3 days.

 

Age could catch up, or a period of stress like spawning who knows. You don't have any nitrates at all? Not nitrites, but the nitrates? Bigger tanks do help with increased oxygen and dilution so its worth mentioning gallons, fish number and average sizes. Did the fasting help temporarily and then she got like this again or did you see no change? How long was the fast? The quality of the pellets matters, do you know which brand (it's good they are sinking though). Do you blanch your veggies? I use thawed peas and frozen fish food "emerald entree" and sometimes a seaweed. Most terrestrial vegetation is too hard to digest. Basically here's where I'm thinking: Swim bladder regulation is closely related to digestive movement. As age and size go on, bodies can change and expose slight imperfections in our already compressed, deformed beloved goldfish. Btw, do use a heater to maintain good digestive temps? Like 72? Anyway, if the food is a little hard to digest, or there is too much of it, or not enough veggie matter, or too cold to digest then repeated boughts of constipation press on the swim blader. AND/OR something tipped the scale in the gut and it's contents started growing gram negative bacteria. There may be stringie poos or white poos. Maybe she only got constipated once but hasn't been able to lick an infection since. Seachem makes products you mix into thawed frozen food : kanaplex and metroplex with the binder focus. The blend sits to bind and can be frozen and fed daily as the exclusive food for up to 3 weeks to clear out any offending bacteria. Then just prevent constipation and indigestion so it doesn't reoccur.

 

Age could catch up, or a period of stress like spawning who knows. You don't have any nitrates at all? Not nitrites, but the nitrates? Bigger tanks do help with increased oxygen and dilution so its worth mentioning gallons, fish number and average sizes. Did the fasting help temporarily and then she got like this again or did you see no change? How long was the fast? The quality of the pellets matters, do you know which brand (it's good they are sinking though). Do you blanch your veggies? I use thawed peas and frozen fish food "emerald entree" and sometimes a seaweed. Most terrestrial vegetation is too hard to digest. Basically here's where I'm thinking: Swim bladder regulation is closely related to digestive movement. As age and size go on, bodies can change and expose slight imperfections in our already compressed, deformed beloved goldfish. Btw, do use a heater to maintain good digestive temps? Like 72? Anyway, if the food is a little hard to digest, or there is too much of it, or not enough veggie matter, or too cold to digest then repeated boughts of constipation press on the swim blader. AND/OR something tipped the scale in the gut and it's contents started growing gram negative bacteria. There may be stringie poos or white poos. Maybe she only got constipated once but hasn't been able to lick an infection since. Seachem makes products you mix into thawed frozen food : kanaplex and metroplex with the binder focus. The blend sits to bind and can be frozen and fed daily as the exclusive food for up to 3 weeks to clear out any offending bacteria. Then just prevent constipation and indigestion so it doesn't reoccur.

She’s only about three years old, so I feel like it can’t be age. No, I don’t have any nitrates at all, or very little, depending on how one might perceive the color of the water test. I’ve been fish keeping for a while now and I’m religious about water changes. I have six fish in a 125 gallon tank, that has multiple air stones and filters in it. It’s well aerated. No, the fasting nor the peas helped. She’s not worse but she’s not better and it’s concerning me. The pellets I use are Aqueon and they don’t even get them every night. Yes, I cook their veggies. Yes, the tank is kept at a constant temperature with a heater, at 68 degrees. 72 is too warm, they’re goldfish.

 

Here’s a really bad pic of what’s going on with her currently. She’s got a white spot on her bum protruding, kinda like she’s trying to poop but can’t? It’s been this way for several hours. I couldn’t get a pic from the side but managed to get her while she was floating upside down. And don’t freak about me touching her, I just lightly put my hand around her to make sure she didn’t float away while I got a pic.

Is it possible she’s just REALLY comstipated? Or maybe she’s got an egg problem? I’ve never experienced this before in all my years of keeping fish and I just want to make her better.

 

72 is too warm, they’re goldfish.

Theyre fine at 68, but don't use a condescending tone just because it's information you haven't heard before.
Goldfish tank temperature
https://howtotakecareofgoldfish.com/whats-perfect-temperature-goldfish-water/
There's a formula for Epsom salt soaked food that can make a laxative if you believe it's just serious constipation lower in this article.

If it's egg bound, I don't know what options there are other than a vet with horomone injections.

 

Hi. I was just wondering if you found what was wrong with your fish. Mine is having the exact same problem. I need help