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/

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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

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