Lionhead floats upside at top of tank...

[DLeAnnM]

My lionhead is always floating upside down! No he is not dead. 8O He has a very hard time keeping himself upright and when he gets tired of trying to stay up right, he will go put his head up against the heater to try to stay upright. He has been doign this for at least 3 months. He doesnt show any sign of sickness on his body and he is very fat. The other fish actually push him around the tank and the current from the filter moves him around too. His fins do work and he does swim occassionally. Everyone else in the tank is normal.

29 gallon tank
Inhabitants- lionhead, black moor that turned orange, a red cap oranda, upside down catfish, apple snail and algae eater.
Kept around 70-74 degrees

 

[Devilishturtles]

Sounds like definitley swim bladder disorder. Doing a quick search here on AA will get you all of the necessary treatments and stuff you would need, along with other people's stories. It's quite a common disease in goldfish, but is for the most part untreatable.... sorry.

Good luck.

 

[dr_girlfriend]

There are a few things that could be going on. One is that your fish is suffering from internal parasites or tuberculosis. But if he is still eating normally I wouldn't lean towards that theory. Second he could have a gut impaction. Smaller, frequent feedings with a varied diet and some peas would help this along. Third, and not proven theory, is high nitrate. Test your water for nitrates, if it is really high, move the affected fish to nitrate-free water and see if he improves. Fourth, it is a female with an egg impaction, in which case there is no treatment.
But in most cases, it is a mystery. This is a common disorder in goldfish, and unfortunatley I would recommend to euthanize this fish if none of the above helps to end his suffering.

 

[Toirtis]

Most likely a swim-bladder issue....or bloat. Feed him some peeled peas, and switch to one of the specialised diets for ranchus/lionheads/etc....they are designed to break down quickly and not ferment at all, thereby not creating any gasses.

 

[whitetiger_CJ]

to prevent this from happening to any goldfish in the future, don't drop flake food on the surface on the water. grab the amount usually used in one feeding in your hand and submerse the food in the tank. release the food under the water. this will prevent the goldfish from gulping air when it eats.

 

[dr_girlfriend]

Go to this website to help you with your goldfish:
http://www.koivet.com/html/articles/articles_details.php?article_id=157&category=16&name=Goldfish
Its a common myth that goldfish feeding from the surface causes flipover, same with the myth that goldfish can only thrive in cold water