The tail of your goldfish sinks as the nose rises, causing the fish to float straight up and down. The fish appear to be trying to get oxygen out of the surrounding atmosphere instead of water. While this is disturbing, it almost always mean there’s a physiological imbalance, which is common in carp species, but not normal.
Don’t freak out thinking your fish is dead, however knowing why will help you fix it. However, this situation isn’t any less concerning, although it’s viewed different than before. This time, your fish settle to the bottom of the gravel and lays motionless on its side.
You tap the glass and it doesn’t swim off, it just remains there. This presents the other end of the buoyancy spectrum. One extreme is too much gas, and the other is not enough gas or a problem regulating it.
Both aren’t normal, but both can be treated if caught early. To understand this, you need to know a little about the swim bladder. It is a very delicate organ that function like a balloon to help position the fish vertically.
Why Goldfish Float Or Sink And How To Fix It
Understanding Goldfish Buoyancy Issues
What’s a swim bladder? Swim bladders is gas-filled sacs within the bodies of bony fish that enable them to stay at certain depths without needing to swim all the time. Because goldfish are round-bodied, they’re especially vulnerabel to swim bladder problems.
They don’t have a built-in hydrodynamic advantage like more streamlined species. Because their belly presses on the swim bladder, it can be compressed easy by something pushing up or down on it. It’s a design defect that must be managed carefuly.
That’s why you see some fish perfectly fine one day and flipped over the next. The term swim bladder disease is more of an umbrella phrase for those sinking/floating problems. It’s a sign of a stressed out fish, not a specific pathogen.
Improper gas exchange result in improper buoyancy. Either the organ compresses and the fish can’t right itself, or it becomes overinflated. This may happen quickly after a diet change or slowly over several week, depending on the environment.
What Is the Swim Bladder?
Treating it depends on your understanding that this is a mechanical issue versus something infectious. Most of the time it’s overfeeding. If there is food present, goldfish will eat all day long.
They don’t have stomach! Pellets and dry flake foods also expand inside the digestive tract, which presses right up against the swim bladder. This usually result in sinking, as the gas can’t fill the organ enough to make up for the increased mass.
Overfeeding and Digestive Pressure
Digestive gas entering the organ directly causes the floating issue sometimes. In both situations, the solution is often quite straightforward. Stop feeding for a few days until the gut empties out and reduces pressure.
Treating Constipation Naturally
The same can be said for constipation which blocks the digestive tract. Feces harden up in the intestines and then push on the swim bladder. This mechanical blockage keep the gas from being regulated properly.
Giving the fish a pea (without the shell) will help dislodge the blockage. The fiber aids digestion and moves things along. Why does this work?
It works because it relieves the physical pressure instead of treating an ailment. It’s a gentle approach that provides the fish time to get back to normal. These symptoms are made worse by or triggered by water quality problems.
Water Quality and Stress
The ammonia burns damage the gill tissue which stress the rest of the system. When a fish gets stressed, it doesn’t eat well or at all. So there’s an issue with digestion.
Slow accumulation of toxins occur due to infrequent tank water changes and/or poor filtration. It may not be noticeable to you right away, but the fish know something’s wrong. Regular testing ensures that chemistry is not the hidden variable.
Clean water equals overall health. It also help the swim bladder function properly. Another way decor can be harmful physically is with trauma.
Physical Trauma from Decor
The internal organs can get bruised by items with sharp edges such as sharp rocks or hard plastic decorations. A direct hit to the abdomen can damage the structure of the fish’s swim bladder. That’s more difficult to address since you’re dealing with physical damage to the tissue itself.
Removing sharp objects and using a soft sand substrate prevents us from making the problem worse. Reducing the likelihood of sudden buoyancy problems is a preventive approach. In some species, it’s just genetic.
Genetic Factors in Fancy Goldfish
For example, fancy goldfish such as ryukins or orandas are selected for a compact body. That results in a harder time staying afloat. Because of this, they’re prone to having congenital swim bladder problems.
You can help manage this by making changes to their diet and environment. Digestive pressure is reduced when they eat multiple small meals instead of one large meal. Slow sinking pellets keeps the food down low where it will also aid digestion.
Those adaptations helps make up for the natural risk associated with their body. Patience, It’s going to take time for your goldfish to recover. Changing their diet won’t result in an instant fix.
Recovery and Long-Term Care
Depending on how long they’ve been fed the incorrect food, weeks may be required to give the body time to adjust and heal. Reduce stress as much as possible during recovery. Don’t add new fish.
Don’t rearrange the tank decorations. Provide good water quality, which includes maintaining a steady, calm environment. Your job is to provide care and let the fish get well.
With persistence and continued food changes, most problems will work themselves out. Your goldfish wants to swim, not float or sink. Doing something about the cause(s) of swim bladder disease is your goldfish’s best chance for recovery.
Observe it closely. Do it early. What you feed it and how you keep its home can make all the difference between a thriving goldfish and a struggling one.
Keep the tank balanced and the fish will be too.
