Bouyancy Issues

Swim bladder disease is a fairly common issue with most goldfishes - resulting in the cute little fishies having trouble staying underwater, leaning sideways and sometimes even swimming upside down! Here's how one owner tackled the issue.
Pets Team 29 May 2015

Fairly prevalent in goldfishes, swim bladder disease is when the organ maintaining the fish’s stability and bouyancy loses its ability to regulate air properly, causing the fish to float nearer to the surface of the water, swim towards a particular side, or even end up upside down!

While it may sound serious, swim bladder disease is fairly easily treated, through ensuring proper water quality, a low protein diet, adding aquarium salts for de-stressing the goldfish, or simply feeding the little fishies peeled, cooked peas to up their fibre intake.

As the fish recovers, however, owners may need some help to keep their little amber critters swimming upright and in the proper position for their own safety. We’ve recently been sent an image from a Reddit user, who improvised a quick device to help their goldfish stay afloat.

 

While the fish may look fairly unimpressed, we have to concur that a strip of fabric and cork to make sure his goldfish doesn’t topple over mid-swim is a pretty clever, effective solution.

Kudos to this devoted goldfish owner!

 

(Images: Reddit.com, practicalfishkeeping.co.uk)