Olden Goldie is sick

[JeanReed]

Hi Guys

I have a gold fish - probably around 8 - 10 years old! He is also around 8 inches long (just his body - tail makes him longer). I call him my shark!

However, he is now horribly ill and for the life of me, I can't find out why.

He is a pond fish - in my pond outside. However, when I saw him this morning, I filled up an old fishtank and put him in the kitchen where I could keep an eye on him. He is no worse, but no better either.

He is lying on his side with his spine arched - in other words he looks a bit like a bridge. His tail is on the bottom of the tank but the rest of him is floating in the middle in a big curve.

So far, I have added 2 tablespoons of aquarium salt (around a 10 gallon tank) and some "aqua safe" which one adds to aquariums to reduce shock, neutralise chlorine, etc. This is the extent of my fish first aid knowledge.

I hate to admit that usually I wouldn't worry about this and would just "dispose" of a fish in this state, but I have had him for so long -I am quite attached to him.

Is there anything that I can do for him?

To answer the assumed questions : I cannot see anything wrong with him - no skin fukes / parasites / fluffy patches / slimy patches - anything that might hint at what is up. I don't clean the pond very regularly though I did about a month ago. However, for all these years, he has been fine swimming in green sludge. I occasionally top up the pond with the garden hose.

I wait to hear from you.

Thanks

Jean
South Africa

[tled6448]

I have had my silver dollars do that and that means he was hit by another fish or he has swim bladder disease. Is his body curved and when he swims he has severe loss of balance and maybe even belly up. If so,i'm sorry to tell you, but he is going to probably die. My silver dollars die of this. One of my silver dollars died of this yesterday. It is so sad. There is no cure for it. I am so sorry if you lose your goldfish.
Here is information on swim bladdar disease and the swim bladders job:
Many fish have an internal sac, which may or may not be connected with the gut, into which gases are secreted from the bloodstream. The primary function of this, the swim bladder, is to help to keep the overall density of the fish near that of the water in which it swims, so that it does not have to exert itself to remain at any particular level beyond a mild action of the fins. If a fish is sudenly brought up from deep water and its swim bladder is such that it cannot get rid of the expanded gases rapidly enough, it will expand, and even explode, and the fish cannot be saved. It must be staged (decompressed) just like a diver if this is to be avoided.