A few weeks ago I noticed that one of my baby goldfish was swimming sideways, so I removed him from general population and put him in his own tank. I researched this and thought he might have swim bladder and tried all the things suggested and pretty much figured he may not make it. Well he is still alive but when swimming he does so in a barrel role fashion, he is still eating. Any ideas about this? He may just be my "special" fish
Goldfish acting funny
- Thread starter PGBRAT
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Never heard of that. Since this is a baby it could be a deformity, even if not obviously visible.
Could live many years and be your favorite fish. I still remember a goldfish with a deformed snout I called Stumpy. All the others out grew Stumpy because he couldn't eat as fast, but did fine. At one point he had vertical scares on either side which I assume were from a heron or egret attack. So I considered him lucky.
Could live many years and be your favorite fish. I still remember a goldfish with a deformed snout I called Stumpy. All the others out grew Stumpy because he couldn't eat as fast, but did fine. At one point he had vertical scares on either side which I assume were from a heron or egret attack. So I considered him lucky.
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Good luck to your special child! let us know how it does.
HARO
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Is there a possibility of stray current from a pump or whatever? A mild shock can have that effect on a fish, and often it is only one in the bunch that is affected. John
fishin4cars
True friends just call me Larkin
Very true John, I had that issue a few years ago with a pump that got moisture in it and several fish started acting funny one by one with no visible signs of injury or health issues. I didn't know that stray voltage would effect them like that but found out quickly what was going on when I stuck my hands in the pond!
I also wonder if it could be trapped air in the swim bladder. I have a ryukin in my aquarium that will start swimming upside down and head down when he gets air trapped, it can take 8 hours to a few days for it to "pass gas" then he'll start swimming right again. Seems like fat bodied goldfish such as lionheads, orandas, ryukins etc are most prone to this problem. never seen Comets of koi do it at all.
I also wonder if it could be trapped air in the swim bladder. I have a ryukin in my aquarium that will start swimming upside down and head down when he gets air trapped, it can take 8 hours to a few days for it to "pass gas" then he'll start swimming right again. Seems like fat bodied goldfish such as lionheads, orandas, ryukins etc are most prone to this problem. never seen Comets of koi do it at all.
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I never saw or heard of a common/comet type fish with that problem. Apparently it's caused by the bladder being forced into an unnatural position by the genetic deformity of the round body. John
j.w
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Maybe he'll just go on to live a happy life just the way he is and be just fine even w/ his funny movements. You'll love him even more!
stroppy
stroppy
have you tried giving him peas it might help and even if it doesn't they love them 
stroppy
stroppy
i guess you just keep an eye on him and see how he goes, have you got another small fish you could put in with him ? they like company
PGBRAT,
I found this snipit via a Google search.
SWIM BLADDER DISEASE
The swim bladder is the organ which allows a fish to stay at any level in the aquarium without sinking or floating. The swim bladder may fail from damage by bacteria, parasites, genetic faults, or blows and/or bruises. When the swim bladder fails to function the fish loses it's ability to swim normally and may swim sideways or even upside down. Once damaged, the bladder does not usually return to normal functioning, but if the fish can eat and swim without too much strain it can live for years with the condition. Goldfish seem particularly prone to swim bladder problems. Without knowing the exact cause of the malfunction, treatment is difficult. Since internal bacteria, fungus, or parasites are the only treatable causes, medicated food and/or antibiotics should be tried along with frequent water changes.
If the other fish have not been affected, then I wouldn't suspect a rampant problem with bacteria/parasites in your pond water, but I would keep a close eye on them just to be cautious. I would suspect that this one fish may have had a developmental or genetic disorder, a one time infection or got hurt at some time, but will be fine. He just limps a bit now.
I would keep him quarantined for a while longer to monitor him and the other fish. If he does alright, I'd probably put him back in the population eventually. Or maybe put a friend with him in the same isolation tank first and see if the friend develops the same symptom. If it doesn't, then it is probably safe (not a communicable disease or parasite/bacteria).
I am certainly not a fish doctor, but this sounds like a reasonable approach to figure it out.
Gordy
I found this snipit via a Google search.
SWIM BLADDER DISEASE
The swim bladder is the organ which allows a fish to stay at any level in the aquarium without sinking or floating. The swim bladder may fail from damage by bacteria, parasites, genetic faults, or blows and/or bruises. When the swim bladder fails to function the fish loses it's ability to swim normally and may swim sideways or even upside down. Once damaged, the bladder does not usually return to normal functioning, but if the fish can eat and swim without too much strain it can live for years with the condition. Goldfish seem particularly prone to swim bladder problems. Without knowing the exact cause of the malfunction, treatment is difficult. Since internal bacteria, fungus, or parasites are the only treatable causes, medicated food and/or antibiotics should be tried along with frequent water changes.
If the other fish have not been affected, then I wouldn't suspect a rampant problem with bacteria/parasites in your pond water, but I would keep a close eye on them just to be cautious. I would suspect that this one fish may have had a developmental or genetic disorder, a one time infection or got hurt at some time, but will be fine. He just limps a bit now.
I would keep him quarantined for a while longer to monitor him and the other fish. If he does alright, I'd probably put him back in the population eventually. Or maybe put a friend with him in the same isolation tank first and see if the friend develops the same symptom. If it doesn't, then it is probably safe (not a communicable disease or parasite/bacteria).
I am certainly not a fish doctor, but this sounds like a reasonable approach to figure it out.
Gordy