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I was told to feed my fish 2-3 times a day as long as the food did not remain more than several minutes then I was not over feeding them. I have two, they are the fantails. The multi colored one has for sometime now remained at the top of the water, floating on it's back. It struggles to turn over and swim around the tank. The past few days, it has not been able to swim normal. I believe that the advise I was given at the time I purchased them may have been incorrect. I think from the frequent feedings, the one fish is too fat. Is there anything I can do to reverse this. Since these are my granddaughter's fish I willing to spend what is necessary and of course if such a treatment is even available. Thanks, Deborah
Pet's Age: 1 Already Tried: it is a fish and I don't know the sex.....I just discovered that the fish is now bleeding from it's belly
Hi Deborah.
Before I begin I'd like to ask you a few questions so as to have a better understanding of the set-up of the fish tank.
1) How long has the tank been up and running with fish in it?
2) How many gallons/litres of water does the tank hold?
3) Are the fish fantail guppies or goldfish?
4) Are you feeding only flake food to the fish?
.
one year, 10 gal tank, goldfish, only flake food
Thank you for the information.
Yes, feeding the fish 2-3 times a day is a bit too much as feeding only 1 time is better. The reason for this is that overfeeding leads to excess fish waste and decaying uneaten food which are both leading causes of unfavorable water quality.
Exclusively feeding flake food can cause goldfish to succumb to an illness called
Swim Bladder Disorder (sbd) which is obviously a disorder that affects a fish's swim bladder. The swim bladder is responsible for a fish being able to swim upright and maintain its buoyancy. When it becomes blocked, infected or too full of air it ceases to function properly as you are witnessing with your fish.
Many types of fish are highly susceptible to this disorder mainly because of the odd shapes of some species, genetics and poor breeding practices.
There really does not exist a fool-proof way to prevent sbd but by maintaining excellent water conditions and soaking flake food prior to feeding can lower the prevalence of the disorder. The reason for soaking flake food, prior to feeding, in pond water set aside, is that the flakes will absorb water thus lessening the amount of air the fish intakes when gulping the food
The traditional way to treat this is by isolating the affected fish in a quarantine tank using water from the main tank/pond so as to not change the fish's environment too much.
If the fish is now the only fish in the tank then there's no need to seperate it.
Once seperated begin to feed the fish canned peas without the husk/shell. Feed 1-2 peas twice a day making sure to clean out any uneaten portions. Peas are well known to clear out a fish's swim bladder. It's best to feed the pea diet exclusively. If the pea diet does not work then try the pea diet with intermitent days of fasting.
In addition to the pea diet you can try treating the fish with a medicine called Maracyn-Two (USA) or Interpet Aquarium 13-Swimbladder(outside of USA) which could prove helpful in curing sbd as some cases are caused by bacteria. Follow the directions on the product label for dosage amounts.
It would also be helpful to not fill the fish's quarantine tank up to the top with water leaving about 2-3 inches from the top free as this will lessen the amount of water pressure on the fish.
Please keep in mind that sbd can sometimes be very difficult to cure and is one of the
most common problems fishkeepers face.
Listed below are 2 links which will further elaborate on sbd.
I just noticed that you wrote in the additional information area that " the fish is now bleeding from it's belly". Is the blood coming directly from the fish's abdomen area or is there some kind of sore assocaited with it?
http://badmanstropicalfish.com/forum/index.php?topic=1026.0
http://www.fishdeals.com/fish_diseases/swim_bladder_disease/
there is no sore, it's bleeding from the belly
Thank you for the clarification.
Bleeding such as you are describing, from the body (belly) of the fish, is an indication of a physical injury the fish incurred.
The way to treat this is to begin by changing 25% of the water in the fish's tank. Add some aquarium salt to the water at a ratio of 1 tablespoon per every 5 gallons/20 litres of water as the salt will help fight off any bacteria that might invade the affected area.
Add a product to the water called Stress Coat, click on link below for a view and description of Stress Coat. It contains the healing agent aloe vera and will help heal and protect the affected area.
Begin to treat with an anti-bacteria/fungal medicine such as Maracyn which in addition to the aquarium salt will help prevent bacteria and fungus from invading the damaged area. Click on 2nd link below for a view of the product.
Both Maracyn and Stress Coat can be easily obtained at most major pet stores where fish are sold. Just follow the directions on the product label for usage instructions.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=4025
http://pet-supplies.drsfostersmith.com/search?p=R&srid=S10%2d1&lbc=drsfostersmith&am p;w=maracyn&url=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2edrsfostersmith%2ecom%2fproduct%2fprod%5fdisplay%2ecfm%3fpcatid%3d4838&rk=1&uid=214696774&sid=2&ts=results&rsc=zmrHSxkQ8wMiPkhw&method=and&af=cat1%3afish%20type%3aproduct&isort=score
since there are two fish in the tank I will move the healthy one, less stress on the ailing fish. You mentioned feeding peas however, the fish has not been able not for two days to turn upright and eat. It tries but just can't seem to get positioned properly. Do I still need to feed the peas and if not should I try putting some flake food in the tank once a day?
I can understand the dilemma you're encountering in trying to feed the fish who's swimming upside down so what you can try is before feeding a pea to the fish, crush it up between your fingers and then add it to the water. Try and place/drop the food in close proximity to the fish.
Right after adding the peas (this will be a bit difficult) try and nudge the fish upright by using a fish net. Be gentle when doing this and hopefully the fish will be able to access the food.
You can still feed the flake food but remember to soak it in some tank water set aside so as to lessen the fish's risk of intaking air whilst eating.
It won't be a problem if the fish passes a day or two without eating and might even help the swim bladder. In the wild, fish sometimes have to go as much as a week without eating so they're genetically hard-wired for periods of fasting.
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