Fish laying on the bottom of the pond

[bass_ferret]

I have a load of goldfish that I have inherited - never bought one. Some have been bred in the pond.

I have a number of fish that are just laying on the bottom of the pond. If I net them they swim away.

This started with just one fish but it is now affecting 3 or 4 fish. They are all the same colour, black tops and silver bottom, and I think they have all been bred in the pond because they are quite small and I have never been given fish that colour.

Any idea's?

 

[sissy]

thats what they do in the winter lay around and sort of hibernate like a bear .You keep disturbing they are going to be angry at you . :razz: .They go to the bottom and just lay there and rest there fishy bodies

 

[j.w]

Yes make them mad and they'll bite you w/ those sharp teeth of theirs

Oh and

bass_ferret

 

[Mmathis]

I have a load of goldfish that I have inherited - never bought one. Some have been bred in the pond.

I have a number of fish that are just laying on the bottom of the pond. If I net them they swim away.

This started with just one fish but it is now affecting 3 or 4 fish. They are all the same colour, black tops and silver bottom, and I think they have all been bred in the pond because they are quite small and I have never been given fish that colour.

Any idea's?

Assuming your temps are cool right now, so fish would be going toward the "warmer," deeper water. Do you have a water test kit? Probably wouldn't hurt to check water conditions.

And WELCOME to the GPF! You have "ferret" in your name -- do you have or like ferrets? I'm a big ferret fan, though we haven't had one in a while.

 

[bass_ferret]

No ferrets, I play bass in a band called Fred and the Ferrets :razz:

Yes it has been cold lately. They show up because they are silver on the bottom, and are laying on their sides and backs so they stand out. And its only the black and silver fish. The rest are quite happy swimming normally, although they too are at the bottom of the pond.

It may be an idea to test the water.

 

[sissy]

could be the oxygen and levels are better down deep or could be they are resting .Mine sort of lay sideways .

 

[Dave 54]

They are suffering what we call sleeping sickness in that the pond is bellow 2c .
They lie on the bottom not moving apearing but if you try to net one they up and swim away this can be fatal should it continue , To stop this and to raise the pond temperature you need a heater which will raise the temperature of the pond by a few degrees thus giving the fish the few degrees they need to survive the winter..
This is imperative if you dont wish to suffer any losses .


rgrds


Dave

 

[callingcolleen1]

I have some goldfish that do this when the water first gets cold in the fall, and it is not fatal for my fish, so your fish should recover and be fine just don't disturb them. It only seems to affect my goldfish, and never my koi, and I am not convinced it is sleeping sickness, cause it goes away and the fish are fine usually within a couple weeks or so. It is January now and I see the fish that were laying in their side back in November are now normal once again. It is the same thing every fall, which is when the water first gets very cold, a couple fish will lay on their side, and I never panic anymore cause I know they will be fine. The fish that are usually affected appear to be the fat well fed fish, and I think it is indigestion, they most likely ate a fat bug that was on the pond surface before the temperature dropped, and bugs are protein which is hard to digest in cold water, that's why it seems to happen to otherwise "healthy well fed" fish.