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Goldfish Floating Problems by Ray Jordan

Goldfish swim bladder problems are very difficult to treat - especially in fancy goldfish. Floating seems to be more of a problem in egg shaped varieties especially if kept in aquariums and shallow ponds. There are lots of theories about the cause. I tend to believe it is a combination of in-breeding that produced an anatomy with compressed egg like bodies, feeding issues, and possibility an air bladder infections?

First stop feeding completely. It might take a month or more but this often helps. Maybe it is the loss of weight or it just takes time for the problem to resolve it self. Fish will not starve if not feed for a month - I promise. It would also be very helpful to raise the water temperature to 75 to80F degrees and add 1-2 lbs of salt per 100 gallons of water. Goldfish seem to do better if kept in water that constantly has 1/2 to 3/4 lb. of salt per 100 gallons. Be sure to use plain non iodized salt. If you have aquatic plants with your goldfish you will want to use a very low level of salt perhaps 1/4 lb. per 100 gallons.

Temperature changes also seem to play a factor. Use an aquarium heater indoors to keep your water temperature constant. In an outdoor pond do what you can to moderate the temperature changes.

I have not seen or had much success treating floating goldfish with antibiotics. I have read several articles that state that if there is an infection involved it is most likely viral and not bacterial. Therefore the only practical therapy is supportive.

Once a fish is floating so badly it starts getting infections from it's skin drying out above water you have a major problem. You might try to put something in the aquarium that would allow the fish to suspend itself below water. In a pond they will sometimes wedge themselves into a water lily or some other pond structure to stay below the water. Maybe in an aquarium you can put in something smooth with a dome top and open sides that will allow the fish to swim into it and be held below the surface. You might have to place the fish in position several times before it stays there.

Now the really bad news. If you catch a fish and treat it quickly it can resolve it's floating problem - however eventually these same fish tend to start floating again and they respond poorer to treatment if at all the 2nd time, etc.

Prevention is the key. Buy comets or common goldfish - they seem to be almost immune to this problem. When you buy fancy goldfish be sure that you watch them for a significant time – are they swimming normally? If they seem to sit on the bottom or swim in a awkward position head up or down do not buy them. They should not float or sink when they stop swimming and be able to hang fairly level while suspended in the water for some time. I know! The best ones all seem to have a swimming problem. PLEASE - DO NOT BUY THEM!

Feed only very fresh goldfish food that is kept in a air tight container in a cool dry place where it cannot get moldy. I suggest the refrigerator. Feed tiny amounts several times a day. Overfeeding is death to fish. Feed only sinking food. Avoid flake foods. Buy goldfish food made into pellets. You can soak most goldfish pellets in pond or aquarium water for a few minutes and it will sink - but that is too much trouble for me. I buy sinking pellets. If you cannot find sinking goldfish pellets ask you supplier to order them for you or go online to http://www.goldfishconnection.com/. I buy the SHO Gold sinking pellets that is advertised on this website. I also like to feed canned baby green peas occasionally.

Floating food especially flake food requires goldfish to swallow air which can start the floating problems. These types of fish have a swim bladder that is connected to their gut. They add or remove air via this duct as needed for buoyancy control. Apparently some fish start to develop a problem equalizing the air in their swim bladders and either start floating or sinking.

There definitely seems to be less floating problems in deeper ponds vs shallow ponds and aquariums. Perhaps fish in deeper ponds (3 ft+) can dive to the bottom when they first start having a problem and because of the extra pressure equalize the air in it's bladder easier than in a shallow pond?

We have three small baby ranchus about 1-1/2 inches long. We keep them in a one hundred gallon aquarium. Recently one of them started floating. I moved the baby fish to our outdoor goldfish pond which is 3-1/2 feet deep. After only a few days it was doing much better. Perhaps because it could swim towards the bottom of the pond and equalize the pressure in it’s swim bladder easier. I will still bet you however, that this fish will have a floating problem as it gets bigger. Only time will tell. (follow up - this ranchu did well for about 4 months but, then started floating again and eventually died. The other two fish are still doing just fine)

I am sorry I do not have better news for you about your floating goldfish. Hopefully, this information will help you prevent future problems in other fish and more carefully select healthier fish less likely to develop the problem. Good Luck!