Tropical Fish Forums

[goldyfish]

hi, I posted a while back after I got my fish and got great advise.
I have 2 fantails in an 80litre tank. 1 was swimming a bit strange a few days ago.
I fed spinich yesterday in a bit to help I it was a swimbladder problem. Today and yesterday ahe spent most of the day at the top of the tank. she can swim to the bottom but floats back to the top when she stops swimming.
I fed a shelled pea this morning which she ate and changed 20% of the water this evening. Since then she has started to float on her side at the top. she can still swim but she is really stuggling to go down in the water and floating back up really quickly.

I have done a search on this site and read up on others for info. I have read some stuff about adding salt. should I do this she is still very small, we have had them for about 6 months I think. What else can I do to help her
any advise gratefully recieved.

[goldyfish]

fish has recovered and is swimming around happily this morning. Thankfully. It is really awful to see them in difficulty and not really be able to help.

[katienaha]

Keep feeding roughage like frozen spinach a couple times a week, and try not feeding for one day a week.

Another thing to seriously look into is a larger tank. This tank is much too small for even one fantail. Try looking for at least a 35-40g (130-150L), but bigger is much better for these messy fish. With room to swim and better water quality/stability found in larger tank, you will find you will have less problems with your fish.

I am glad it recovered so quickly!
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Let the current take you where you may not always want to go.

[goldyfish]

I know but it is the best I can do at the moment.
I was sold them from a shop that now I know more I will not go back to. To go in a 17ltr tank. I was told I could put 3 in! luckily I only have 2 kids so they chose 1 each.
I am shocked at how much bad info and advise there is out there about goldfish. The shop I got them from really had no concern for the fishes welfare atall.
Can anyone tell me the best type of dry food to feed? I have granuals that I was sold with the fish but have read that they should be fed flakes/pellets/soaked pellets/granuals everyone seems to have a different opinion. just wondered if there was a kind that is better for the fish than another. Also I am feeding 3 granuals per fish once a day. Is there a time that they will need more food? How do I know when to up their food intake?and I would like to add some live food into their diet but they come in quite big bags and I'm not sure how much they should have?
Sorry for all the questions. You all really seem to know what your talking about and I really don't know anything. I am on a steep learning curve.

[katienaha]

a steep learning curve is better than no curve at all!

I hesitate to tell you much about amounts and types of food in regards to goldfish, and I don't keep them.
BUT, keep an eye on your fish's bellies - generally a fat fish is a happy fish. If you see a sunken stomach, feed a bit more! But, as you've seen, you need to keep and eye on the swim bladder thing. I believe in roughage, as I have stated before.

When feeding, food should not fall to the bottom. Add small amount of food to the tank so your fish can get it all, and then add a little more as it eats it up. Let the fish eat a minute or two. Maybe portion out the food into 3's and let your kids help you feed the fish in increments.

Any brand name flake is fine, and supplement with blanched/frozen vegetables like spinach and peas (smoosh them between your fingers before dropping them in). If you were looking into breeding your fish you could get more technical with frozen foods, but I truly wouldn't bother unless you started seeing problems.
_________________
Let the current take you where you may not always want to go.