Bloated goldfish

[Tula]

No, there doesn't seem to be any pine coning. The scales look smooth. I believe I've been over feeding them. The water temp was 54 this morning but I've been feeding them throughout the winter. Something I shouldn't have been doing. I'm going to let nature take it's course and time will tell. No more Cheerio's either. Thanks.

Sounds like a plan, keep in touch

 

[Lisak1]

No worries on the response - you'll get the hang of it! This is a really fun, friendly, and helpful forum - we hope you'll stick around!

If your fish are all goldfish, you can pretty much leave them to their own devices food wise - then you'll know if they're just chubby or if there's another issue. Goldfish do fine in a garden pond with little or no food from their human friends - there's lots to eat in the pond that we can't even see!

 

[fishymom]

No worries on the response - you'll get the hang of it! This is a really fun, friendly, and helpful forum - we hope you'll stick around!

If your fish are all goldfish, you can pretty much leave them to their own devices food wise - then you'll know if they're just chubby or if there's another issue. Goldfish do fine in a garden pond with little or no food from their human friends - there's lots to eat in the pond that we can't even see!

I have 17 Koi, some quite large, and 3 large goldfish and 2 large shubunkins. I will hold off on the feedings until the weather warms up and no more Cheerio's. We'll see what nature has in store for these fish. Thanks for the input.

 

[Big Red Comet]

Hi Fishy & ev,
What type of fish is that- is it a fantail or one of those that tends to be kind of round anyway?

I think your diagnosis/plan sounds good. Your pics look an awful lot like what one of my fish was going through one early spring - although yours seems a bit more rounded (hence the question about type of fish). It kinda looks egg-bound too, so that could be something to look into.

As it turns out my fishes swelling was definitely caused by feeding during cold weather (when their digestion is slow to non-existent) . I was totally freaked out thinking my fish had dropsy - but a koi pond expert on the forum I was on insisted that it was constipation, that a number of his fish go through this every year and its generally self correcting as the water warms up. It sounds funny but its not, it can be a problem. Feeding peeled peas soaked in garlic water is a good way to loosen him up - now that your water temps are better. After a few days of that I found small hard chunks on the bottom of the tank that he was passing - the same beige color as the fish food! The swelling began to go down after that, but it took a month for him to get back to normal.

 

[fishymom]

Hi and thanks for your input. I'm not sure what type of goldfish this is. I've named ber Bubbles and she was originally a feeder goldfish that was in a stock tank to keep down mosquitos and then put into my pond when the stock tank was removed. I've stopped feeding Cheerio's and have cut out feeding until the water warms. Right now the water temps are about 50-55 degrees. I'll have to see what happens over time and I'm hoping that it was just an overfeeding. She's been like this for months now, probably over 4-5 months. I was hoping for babies but now I just hope she survives. She eats and swims like nothing is wrong. I will keep everyone posted on how they are all doing. Warmer weather is on the way. I do appreciate everyone's input. Our pond is about 23 years old and we've never had this problem before. Here's hoping for a happy ending.