treating constipated ryukin

[abfab]

last week i noticed that one of my two ryukin was floating upside down at the top of the tank. At first I thought it had died, but after a while it started swimming again, although with more of a wobble than usual. After doing some research I determined that its likely constipation. I stopped feeding them both their goldfish crisps for a few days, giving them green peas instead. The constipated fish seemed a little better, but I didn't see any poop. Today I noticed it had very thin poop with air pockets and i witnessed it belly up again.

How long should it be on a green pea diet? is there something else i can give it, or should i cut back on feedings? i normally feed them once in morning.

thanks.

 

[jsoong]

Goldfish should poop immediately (5-10 min) after eating. If feeding peas doesn't do the trick, the next step is to try Epsom Salt (MgSO4). You can either do a epsom salt bath, or feed a single grain of Epsom salt buried in part of a pea. Also, raising the temp a bit (to 78Fish) will help in digestion as well.

Mg is a laxative, and should relieve constipation. If the fish is still floating upside down after all this treatment, then you would need to consider swimbladder disorder from other causes & start treating for that.

 

[WhiteDevil]

I found to really mashing the peas and making em into sort of a slurry then feed it directly to the ill fish VIA syringe. Do the salt and heat treatment for 2 weeks after the fish appears better.

I am not a fan of medications and cant recommend them due to hypocrisy, Raise the temp no less then 78 no more then 82 with a goldfish especially fancy and do the required salt/gallon and start on the frozen shelled peas ASAP.

It does truly work. This is used for both swim bladder AND constipation, you can try a single piece of minced garlic(mashed) in with the pea mash(freeze unused portion or refrigerate in sealed container for reuse) to stimulate its appetite.

 

[abfab]

thank you both, i'll try your suggestions.

I think i went back to regular food too soon. I mixed some epson salt in with the peas today, however i don't know how much i should be giving. is there any harm in raising the temp or feeding the peas/epson for my other ryukin?

 

[WhiteDevil]

Dont feed them the salt, just add it to the tank per directions on the box. They absorb some of the minerals and it helps eleviate gas and fluid build up in their bodies.

Im not sure they would fare too well with a chunk of salt in their gut.

 

[jsoong]

To do an epsom salt bath, the dose is 1 teaspoon per 5-10 gal.

If you were to feed the fish epsom salt, the recommendation is one single grain of the epsom salt crystal for the fish, no more than that, and only a single dose. Epsom salt is OK if ingested. <It is found in a lot of laxatives & surgical prep - eg Milk of Magnesia or Mag Citrate.> But you certainly don't want to overdose. Personally, I don't think it is good to feed even a single grain of MgSO4 to a tiny goldfish (risk of overdose), but I think it is OK for good size fish, say 4" & up.

Peas & other veggies can be (& should be) fed to all goldfish, not just constipated ones. Veggies are natural part of a goldfish's diet. The pellets & flakes are the unnatural food (which cause constipation!) I try to feed veggies at least once a week. Real fanatics feed fresh food exclusively.

Fancy golds do better with temp in the mid 70's. <They are actually sub-tropical, not really cold water.> As long as there is adaquate aeration, you can raise the temp up into the 80's. So you don't need to worry about the other Ryukin at 78.

MgSO4 is prob. the safest of all chemicals we use with the fish. Although I wouldn't want to expose a healthy fish to it unnecessarily, I wouldn't stress too much if the other Ryukin is exposed unavoidably. <As long as it is not an overdose.>

 

[abfab]

thanks for your advice. i noticed yesterday that its poo seems to have returned to normal.