Is It Possible The Pea Treatment Doesn't Work?

[FishGirl1965]

Here's the deal. For the last few weeks, I've been worried that my fish has constipation. I can't remember the last time I seen feces from her. A few days ago, there was a long one, but that is the only one I've seen. I have fed her a total of 1 1/2 peas over a couple of days, but I still have seen nothing. She swims around fine, eats very well, and doesn't appear to be bloated. I really don't know if she even has constipation or not. How long can fish live with constipation? I don't want to keep feeding her food all the time if she is constipated, but if she isn't, I don't want to starve her. I really don't know what to do, and any help would be appreciated! Thanks.

 

[buddha_red]

what kind of fish are you talking about? What else are you feeding besides a pea?

 

[An t-iasg]

A long string of waste hanging from the fish is a sign of constipation. If the string is no longer there, then it sounds like the peas have worked, especially since you don't see any bloating.

It isn't unusual not to see any waste from the fish, depending on what kind of fish it is. I often saw waste hanging from my pleco but then a short time later it was gone. Plecos produce lots of waste. I never saw my bettas "go". Maybe one time in all the years I had bettas, I saw a betta "go" right when I was looking in at him. So don't worry if you don't actually see the fish producing waste. It's the string hanging from the fish that you should be concerned about, and it sounds like you've cleared that up.

 

[timwag2001]

maybe putting it in a bare bottomed tank for a little while will show some sign of waste on the floor

 

[FishGirl1965]

Thank-you all very much. To be completely honest, I don't know what kind of a fish she is. She is almost 5 years old, and she may possible be a veiltail or fantail goldfish. I sometimes see it hanging from her, but could it be she is just "going"? It isn't that long. I'm a little nervous to remove the rocks because I don't know if that will take away the good bacteria. Will it? Plus, she has a tank mate and an algae eater in there with her and I don't know if they would like that. Thanks again!

 

[jsoong]

I never see my goldies "go" either! That is a good sign. If the bowels are functioning properly, the poop should be short little chunks (1/8") or so, and disintegrate quickly in water. You will not see much poop even in a bare bottomed tank.

If the fish is acting fine, I wouldn't worry too much about it. It is good to feed goldies a bit of veggies (peas, cucumbers, zucchini ....) every few days to prevent constipation. <And they also enjoy the change in the diet.>

 

[FishGirl1965]

Thanks very much!

 

[FishGirl1965]

My fish has been spending a lot of a time floating a little vertical with her head up. She still swims fine, is active, and eats well. Is this normal?

 

[FishGirl1965]

Anyone?

 

[jsoong]

You might want to start a new thread with a different title to get more attention!

Floating with head up is not really normal. this is one symptom of swimbladder disorder, which may be confused with constipation.

There are many causes for buoyancy problem. But clearing up any gut/constipation problem is a good place to start. We need a lot more info to give you good advice: tank size, fish size, temperature, water parameters (NH3, NO2, NO3), and also what kind of gold fish this is.

This is a good place to start learning about goldfish & SB:
Goldfish and Aquarium Board Article-Buoyancy Issues in Fancy Goldfish (aka Swim Bladder)