Help! My Goldfish Is Behaving Strangely

Of late, you noticed your goldfish behaving strangely but couldn’t be sure of illness let alone treat it. You aren’t alone, many fish hobbyists experienced this during their early stage of fish keeping.

• Does your goldfish have its fins clampled shut?
• Does your goldfish lurk in the corner?
• Does your goldfish keep rubbling itself all over the tank?

If your answer is yes to one or all three questions above, then your goldfish has a disease.

Most fish diseases can be treated if diagnosed earlier. Consult your aquarium dealer on how to tackle the ailment and take the necessary precautions when dispensing any medication.

Here Are Some Common Goldfish Ailments

Anchor Worms

• Symptoms: Tiny white, green or brown-red worm-like protrusions on open wounds.
• Cause: Mostly from live food or the pet shop.
• Treatment: Treat the whole tank with Dimilin or a copper solution from the pet shop to kill these parasites. Follow the instructions strictly. You can also use tweezers to carefully remove the worms.

Dropsy

• Symptoms: Swollen abdomen. Protruding scales. Eyes popping out. Pinecone appearance. Ulcers.
• Cause: Internal bacterial infection (acute dropsy). Cancer or internal parasites (chronic dropsy). Weakened immune system.
• Treatment: Isolate the sick fish. Use 1/8 teaspoons of Epson salts (not normal or aquarium salt) per five gallons of water to draw out the toxins. Buck up on cleaning the tank and ensuring good water quality.

Fin or Tail Rot

• Symptoms: Badly torn or frayed fins or tail with white edges. Stubs left in severe cases. Red streaks in tails.
• Cause: Stress. Injury. Poor eating habits. Too much ammonia, pH, nitrites in water.
• Treatment: Can be prevented by maintaining accurate water conditions. Best treated with a disease-specific antibiotic.

Ich

• Symptoms: Small white specks on body and fins that disappear and reappear. Fish scratches itself along tank or objects. Rapid gill movements. Cloudy eyes. Fin deterioration.
• Cause: Parasitic infection. Stress. Usually occurs with newly purchased fish.
• Treatment: Isolate the fish. Treat with malachite green or other medication recommended by the aquarium dealer. Treat the whole tank and wash all plants, filters, driftwood, etc. thoroughly.

Swim Bladder Disorder

• Symptoms: Loss of balance: swims awkwardly, upside down, keeps floating or stinking.
• Cause: Mostly diet-related. Improper water conditions. Wounds. Diseased internal organs.
• Treatment: Feed the fish a high-fibre diet with live and /or frozen foods and peas, in small meals three times a day. Avoid pellets. If that doesn’t help, you may have to treat for bacterial or parasitic diseases. Isolate the fish in another tank with shallow water. Maintain good water conditions.

Cloudy Eye

• Symptoms: Cloudy and whitish eyes. Signs of distress. Off-color appearance.
• Cause: Many causes, some bacterial infections.
• Treatment: Change the water more often. Treat your fish daily for a week: remove it by hand and apply a drop of silver nitrate to the affected eyes. Keep the fish out of the water for about 45 seconds before returning it to the tank. If you have charcoal in your filter, change it every two months.

Flukes

• Symptoms: Gill area is red and inflamed. Inner part of gill may protrude slightly. Gasping at the surface. Rapid breathing. Mucus-coated gills. Fish scrapes itself against objects.
• Cause: Parasitic infection.
• Treatment: Treat with potassium permanganate or fluke tabs.

With these tips, your goldfish is on its way to speedy recovery.

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