In a Developing Symptom Since my "Do Fish Sleep" Thread...Lethargic Goldies?
I realize someone else posted a thread not too long ago here in this section about his lethargic comet, but it seemed like that had gone in the direction of the swim bladder problem that my Calico has been experiencing, and didn't really conclude with any definitive answers; since my Calico has been back to exhibiting some of those same swim bladder symtoms, I want to explore a different issue now that my Red Cap Oranda and all-orange Fantail have been exhibiting, which kind of plays into my thread I began on "sleeping fish" in the general discussion section...
What originally began with my questioning whether fish "sleep" or not, and if the signs my fantails have been exhibiting constitute sleeping behaviors, has morphed into me thinking that there may be a more serious problem going on in my tank -- I have taken notice to the fact that now the Red Cap Oranda, all-orange Fantail and chocolate/gold Fantail have all begun "resting" a whole lot in the aquarium, to the point that they can indeed be labeled as "lethargic." The Oranda and orange Fantail seem to hover and float just above the surface of the gravel, in the rear of the tank, one of them facing outwards towards us from behind a plant, the other always facing backwards towards the rear wall of the tank, near the bubble wand...the gold and chocolate Fantail always hovers up in the left back corner of the tank, near the Aqueon filter intake stalk, and can stay like that, still, for a good amount of time...
They all do not stay like this indefinitely, or for hours -- they come out from behind the plants and the bottom of the tank (and the chocolate/gold Fantail from his upper left corner) and swim around for a good amount of time, checking for food on top and such, but they end up swimming back to their "hiding spots" and sit like that for quite awhile. There does not appear to be any kind of breathing/respiration issue with any of them, nor is there any other kind of "off" behavior -- they continue to eat and show enthusiasm when the flakes and peas are dropped in, but it's this regular and constant lethargic behavior I am concerned with.
This happens mostly in the evening, when we turn the tank lights on and settle in to watch them a bit; they swim around, but eventually sink down to their spots and just float there, coming out to swim more but just for a few moments and then they're back at the bottom (and in the case of one of them, in the upper left corner) behind the plants, just kind of "resting" there. As I said, there's no visible issue or damage to their scales, no growths or bumps, no breathing problems, no gasping at the surface and no loss of appetite -- is this something to be concerned with? Is it normal for the goldfish to want to rest or "sleep" like this all the time? Is it connected to some kind of "bloating" issue like my Calico Fantail was/is experiencing?