What to do when you find your goldfish swimming upside down
When I saw this upside down goldfish, (yes, we had a goldfish floating upside down) I thought it would be floating lifeless by the next morning. But it wasn't. Although it did not seem too uncomfortable, I assume that it must have been rather disorientating for the poor thing and me being me headed off to the PC to "Google" the phrase "upside down goldfish".
This lens discusses what I learned about swimbladder problems and upside down goldfish and how I cured my poor sick goldfish.
Lens photo reproduced under the GNU_Free_Documentation_License
by permission of Manuel Anastacio
Before you ask: "Why worry about a fish?"
Fish are extremely intelligent beings!
Cat Fish (funny commercial)
curated content from YouTube
Swimbladder problems
Why do goldfish swim upside down?
Goldfish swimming upside down
© aj2008
The swimbladder is an air-filled sack that is located just under the fish's vertebrae, just at the top of the abdominal cavity. The fish maintains its buoyancy and adjusts its position in the water by inflating and deflating the swimbladder.
The swim-bladder can be affected by various diseases or it may just play up, causing problems with over or under inflation. Anything that affects the normal functioning of the swimbladder is going to cause huge problems for the fish.
However, it's not just swimbladder disease or problems that can cause difficulties with the fish' equilibrium as there are diseases of the other organs that can also affect the fish, such as in the kidneys or the intestines. If the affected organs are swollen then they can cause pressure on the swim-bladder. This is often a problem with fancy goldfish, where the body cavity is abnormally short compared to the size of the fish.
Two goldfish were in their tank.
One turns to the other and says:
"You man the guns, I'll drive."
Anatomy of a fish
May help you understand why you have a sick goldfish
Anatomy of a fish
reproduced under Creative Commons License Share Alike 2.5
by permission of Uwe Gille
Key to diagram
1 liver
2 stomach
3 intestine
4 heart
5 swim bladder
6 kidney
7 testicle
8 ureter
9 efferent duct
10 urinary bladder
11 gills
Possible treatments for Swimbladder
Why do goldfish swim upside down?
Treating a sick goldfish is extremely difficult and they often die before you have had time to diagnose the problem. The fish may be constipated and as it can hardly tell you the last time it "went", you are going to have quite a task trying to establish if it is "going" regularly. The only way you can tell if a fish may be constipated is if you see long strands of poo hanging from it.I saw one website that suggested a series of anti-biotic injections may help if it is a swimbladder disease or infection - whaaat? Can you imagine it? Working out what to put it in so you can drive it to the vet and praying that you don't have to do an emergency stop on the way!
This same website said a report suggested "wedging" the fish upright between two objects and that this report was helpful. Whaaat? (Again!)
What two objects do you wedge it with? Hang on, I'll just go and get hubby's vice out of the shed!
One of the more sensible suggestions I saw, was that if you think your goldfish is constipated then put it in a bath of Epsom salts - 70g per litre for 5 minutes, which will act as a laxative. But please remember to use water from the fish tank not the tap, or you may cure the constipation but you will kill it with the chemicals in the tap water!
The problem with that suggested treatment was we did not have any Epsom Salts in the house. Why is it whenever you need a remedy, it is midnight and all the shops are closed?
Module photo: © aj2008
Guides to keeping goldfish
How to keep your goldfish healthy
Fancy Goldfish: Complete Guide To Care And Collecting
Amazon Price: $26.37 (as of 12/15/2009) 
Aquarium Care of Goldfish (Animal Planet Pet Care Library)
Amazon Price: $9.31 (as of 12/15/2009)
Today's Essential Guide to Keeping Goldfish: The Aquamaster Series
Amazon Price: $9.95 (as of 12/15/2009)
Goldfish Breeding and Genetics
Amazon Price: (as of 12/15/2009)
Goldfish: Your Happy Healthy Pet
Amazon Price: $12.99 (as of 12/15/2009)
Books on caring for goldfish for UK visitors
Link to Amazon UK
What do you call
a fish with no eyes?
A fsh
The treatment I used to help our upside down goldfish
Frozen peas
The first time I "treated" our sick goldfish, it could not get to the peas as they sank to the bottom of the tank. So I got out the smaller goldfish bowl that I use to put the fish in when I am doing a major clean of their tank. As there was less water in the bowl, the fish had less buoyancy, so he was able to feed off the bottom. Once it had eaten the peas, he was fine within a couple of hours. The recovery was extremely rapid.
The goldfish is not sick anymore!
© aj2008
Why did the peas work?
The peas help because it is believed that they clear out the fish's digestive tract by removing food blockages and trapped air. The standard flaked food we give our fish has a lot of protein which can lead to goldfish constipation.
T-Shirts for fish lovers
Stylish Pink Rock Print T-shirt
Amazon Price: (as of 12/15/2009)
GOLDFISH Ringer T-Shirt
Amazon Price: (as of 12/15/2009)
Koi Dreams T-Shirt by Liquid Blue 100% Cotton Short Sleeve Shirt
Amazon Price: (as of 12/15/2009)
Jellyfish T-Shirt by The Mountain 100% Cotton Short Sleeve Shirt in Kids, Teens & Adult Sizes
Amazon Price: (as of 12/15/2009)
The Big One T-shirt 100% Cotton TEENS and ADULTS Short Sleeve Shirt
Amazon Price: (as of 12/15/2009)
T-Shirts for fish lovers in the UK
Link to Amazon UK
Preventing swimbladder problems from recurring
A varied diet is the answer
Just recently, the fish started swimming upside down again. So I went back onto the net and did some more research.
I discovered that being omnivores goldfish have evolved to eat a wide variety of foods, both animal and vegetable and to thrive they need a range of foods. Fish flakes do not provide all the variety your fish needs.
Goldfish benefit from occasionally having live food such as brine shrimp or daphnia. Brine shrimps are a great source of protein; daphnia are ideal for helping goldfish avoid constipation.
To improve your fish's digestion replace a couple of meals a week with live food but switch off the tank filter before adding it, or it could be filtered before the fish can get to it. Remember to switch it back on again!
Two fish swim into a concrete wall.
One turns to the other and says: "Dam!"
Goldfish also enjoy salad
Greens in their diet can help their colouring
reproduced under Creative Commons License Share Alike 2.5
by permission of OpenCage
Goldfish also enjoy lettuce leaves and fresh spinach. Rinse in clean water, then cut into small pieces and drop them in the tank.
These leaves are a good source of the vitamins and minerals your fish need. They also contain carotenoids. These red and yellow plant pigments may also improve the colouring of your goldfish!
Acknowledgements and credits
Links to more info about keeping and caring for Goldfish
- Animal Jokes
- Goldfish jokes and other animal jokes.
- Oneliners and jokes
- Goldfish jokes. All puns intended!
- Fish doc
- Fish Disease diagnosis & fish disease treatments
- Goldfish info.com
- Diagnostic guide to identifying disease among goldfish
- Fishkeeping.co
- Fishkeeping - Keeping Goldfish - The Right Way - Coldwater Articles - Articles
- Pets at home
- Guide to keeping a Goldfish
- Golden Rules for Keeping Goldfish
- Information on the history and development of goldfish, goldfish breeding, and the golden rules for keeping goldfish
- Fishkeeping Forums
- Advice for tropical, coldwater and marine fishkeeping. Fish, tanks, plants - your questions answered.
Did you like this lens?
Please stay awhile longer to rate it
- Rate this lens:
- Email it
- Favorite it
- Lensroll it
Have you ever managed to successfully treat a sick goldfish?
Have you ever found your goldfish swimming upside down?
Share your tips here
-
Reply
- EverythingMouse EverythingMouse Nov 23, 2009 @ 8:42 pm
- What a fabulous lens. I don't think I have ever saved a goldfish from it's fate. Blessings AJ!
-
Reply
- WebSpinstress WebSpinstress Oct 15, 2009 @ 10:40 am
- Wow - imagine all the goldfishies you have saved with this lens! I've never heard of a cure for upside-down fish either...excellent information you've put into this topic and it's incredible how many fish you've managed to turn right side up. I think I would probably just flip the tank over if I didn't land on your lens first. :-)
-
Reply
- rensister rensister Oct 12, 2009 @ 3:03 pm
- hey thx so much im going to use ur advice i just gave it a pea and im going to get diffrent types of food on the menu for tonnight is lettuce thx for ur help
-
Reply
- clouda9 clouda9 Oct 5, 2009 @ 5:07 am
- Who would have thunk there was a cure - our poor babies went to fish heaven...many tears and a swear never to get another followed! Wonderful information, just in case, and for all those goldfish aficionado's for sure!
-
Reply
- jaja23 jaja23 Sep 24, 2009 @ 7:23 am
- Wonderful lens ^_^
- Load More
AJ is Always Juggling
But every so often she drops the balls!
I LOVE Squidoo and am very proud and humble to be a Squidoo Angel
I am also very proud to have been awarded lens of the day for
Auditory Processing Disorder TWICE!
And then I got it for Twelve ways to have a green & ethical Christmas!
Lensmaster aj2008 has been a member since July 10 2008, has rated 3,257 lenses, favorited 805, and has created 70 lenses from scratch. AJ donates their royalties to Save the Children. This member's top-ranked page is "Bullying At Primary School". See all my lenses
AJ's other family lenses
-
I love you Mum
-
Mother, Mum, Mummy, Ma, Mom - many different names for many different people, but whether it is "I love you Mum", "I love you Mummy" or whatever it is your child calls you, those words are amongst the most precious that a mother will ever hear. For...
-
I love you Dad
-
Father, Dad, Daddy, Pop, Pa, Papa - many different names for many different people, but whether it is "I love you Dad", "I love you Daddy" or whatever it is your child calls you, those words will always mean so much. Any man can b...
-
Bullying At Primary School
-
Bullying at Primary School is about everything that I learned when my daughter was bullied at school and gives tips and strategies to use when dealing with the school. I hope your children are never bullied, but if they are then perhaps our experien...
-
Auditory Processing Disorder
-
Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) is a little known condition that may affect 10% of children, the majority of whom are undiagnosed. APD is a term that is often used to describe people with normal hearing who have listening difficulties. According...
-
Christmas at AJ's
-
Christmas at AJ's is full of Christmas traditions. There's Christmas stockings that Santa fills on Christmas Eve, presents under the tree, turkey for lunch, games in the evening and of course we have to watch Dr Who. The only thing that is us...
by aj2008
Brighten up your lenses for FREE!
Explore related pages
Care For Goldfish - Gold Fish Breeding, Feeding, Aquariums, Health!- Care For Goldfish - Gold Fish Care - Breeding, Caring For Goldfish. Learn how to...
Goldfish Information | Keeping Goldfish | Goldfish Guide- Keeping Goldfish is preferred by many beginners and people looking for a friendl...
Goldfish- Did you know that if it swims and is a fish, then it is likely that it can get s...
St Tiggywinkles- St Tiggywinkles is the biggest wildlife hospital in the world and it is located...
Autumn at AJ's- Autumn in the UK starts in September and goes through until the beginning of Dec...
Always Juggling on Squidoo- Always Juggling? Married....four children.... two still at school.... one very b...
