JillFlorio

A reader’s fish lays at the bottom of her tank. Is he dying? What you can immediately do, and a help in diagnosing the sick fish’s problem.

Help! My fish is sick. About 2 years ago I bought 4 goldfish (two were red caps and I don’t remember what the other two were) and put them in a 30 gallon tank. One died about a year ago and recently another died…so now I have two in the tank. Now one of them is not swimming very much and is laying on the bottom and I don’t know what to do. It does appear that his fins are not working well. Please help.
Jenny [name changed]

Hi Jenny. It’s hard to know what is wrong, and why your goldfish keep dying, from your description. 30 Gallons is okay for 2 or 3 small goldfish. How big are they? You don’t provide specifics like whether your filter is big enough for the growth they experienced since you bought them. Goldfish make a lot of ammonia, which is toxic when it builds up.

Also, I need some diagnostics - are they nipping at each other? Do they have little white spots, patches of fungus, ripped fins, body lumps, parasites, a dirty tank? Too much algae? Have your water temperatures been fluctuating? Maybe you turned the heat off for the weekend, and the water got so cold he turned torpid?

And how often are you changing the water - it could be too little OR to much, or even both (as in too little then followed by too much rapid change). Each tank is a unique ecosystem, so I need more clues to help you.

Sometimes a fish will rest on the bottom if he has indigestion from bad food, or constipation. Is his stomach distended? What are you feeding them?

The fish could also be pregnant or have a swim bladder problem - the first is not a problem, but the second one is.

Start with these tips:

• First off, I would quarantine the sick one. Right away. Take water from the tank he is in (so you don’t shock him), put it in a decent-sized bowl or extra tank with a filter, and keep an eye on him. Also watch to see if your healthy guy is still okay.
• Two, test the water. If you don’t have a kit, you can get one at a fish store, or Petsmart will do a quick water test for free, plus offer advice, whether or not you bring the sick fish in or not. Maybe your pH or nitrite levels are an issue. There are also remedies for sale if your little dude has a disease. Check at your pet store.
• Next: if you think the fish is constipated, try starving him for a few days until he swims about actively again, then change his food to live or freeze-dried only for a week. Return him to his normal tank if he seems better, and watch him to ensure he doesn’t have any more problems.
• Lastly, grab a good goldfish care book to learn more about their specific needs for the present and future. I really recommend Goldfish : An Owner’s Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet. That link will take you to the book at Amazon. The diagnosic section in the back of the book will help you out too.

By the time a goldfish gets sick, he’s probably really in a bad way, and it’s been building for a while - they are generally hardy enough to handle anything.

Please let me know how it goes! And good luck to the little dude - hang in there!

Books on Fish Health Care:

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