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Goldfish with feelings!

DaisydayDaisyday Posts: 373

One of my goldfish has swim bladder problems by eating too many tadpoles I suspect,and I keep finding him lying horizontally on the surface of the pond looking dead but swims away if prodded. The curious thing is that the other fish seem to dislike this behaviour and swim under him to bump him up the right way. I callef my OH out to witness this behaviour as I knew he would never believe me. Has anyone else seen this sort of thing?

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  • DaisydayDaisyday Posts: 373

    Thanks for that advice pansy, I will try to separate him but they are very difficult to catch in the pond as they swim deeper if they feel threatened. He did seem to go better for a few days but the rain overflowed the bucket with the tadpoles in, which I had placed in the pond, and some taddies got washed overboard and I'm pretty certain that over eating in his problem. I will withdraw feeding them as that seemed to do the trick before if I can't isolate him.

  • Katherine WKatherine W Posts: 410

    Last time I saw one of my goldfish swimming funny and sidways, and another goldfish bumbing it (actually *her*, as it turned out) from under we ended up with a million baby fish in the pond. Just saying.

     

  • DaisydayDaisyday Posts: 373
    1. Oh dear!image
  • The biggest thing for most swimbladder issues is to fast the fish for a few days, it often works.

  • Katherine WKatherine W Posts: 410

    Before you take any dcision, may I suggest you make a Google search for goldfish reproduction?

    You will find many description of their "courtship rituals".

    The first time I saw my Blacky bumping poor little Patches around the pond, and Patches swimming helplessly sideways, I thought Patches was sick and Blacky a big hulking brute, and panicked, since they had always been best of friends. As it turned out, they were childhood sweethearts, now all grown up and ready to set up house.

    Do your research. If you still think your fish is sick, by all means isolate it and keep it on a low (or nil) diet.

    But if it's just a pr-egg-nant female, isolating her is the most dangeroun thing you can do. A female alone will keep producing eggs but she may not be able to release them without the males' bumping and nudging, which can lead to impacted eggs and infection.

    My philosophy is, unless you are 100% sure that you know best, let nature take its course.

  • limsielimsie Posts: 3

    If you think it is fro  overeating it may not be swim bladder or dropsy disorder, per say. It could be constipation which in fish can make them float, but if not resolved can lead to the above problem longerterm.

    If you can isolate I would do that and fast for two days then try feeding shelled boiled peas (this helps digestion).

     

    That is what I have had success with in aquarium fish in the past at any rateimage

  • DaisydayDaisyday Posts: 373

    Thanks for your input, all, I will keep a close eye on things and mull over all the advice I've been givenimage

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