constipated goldies???

[cspaccio]

I think my goldfish are constipated, but I can't really tell. I think their poop looks thinner than usual, but it could just be in my head. All the water params are fine, but they look almost bored and just kinda float. Is that a sign of constipation? Ill try to attach some pics.

 

[Devilishturtles]

What kind of goldish is it? Fantails can look awfully bloated at times, but it's just in their nature.

The scales aren't sticking out like a pinecone, are they? If so, this is a sign of dropsy, much more serious than constipation.

If all is well though, and they are just a little backed up...nuke some peas in the microwave for a few seconds. Peel off the skin, and feed it to the goldies. They will devour is, and it will make them clear

 

[cspaccio]

They are indeed fantails! They're scales aren't sticking out. They just look like they have beer-bellies. I tried taking pics of them last night, but my digital camera is horrible and I couldn't get even one good shot. Should I fast them at all before I feed them peas?

 

[Fluff]

I don't see any reason to fast them. The peas won't hurt them either way.

 

[jsoong]

When you feed your goldies, they should poop within a few minutes (they have rather short gut). If the poop is long & stringy, or if you can see poop at tank bottom (ie the poop doesn't fall apart quickly), the goldies are prob constipated.

Being fat is not necessarily a problem. Fantails are supposed to be fat (esp. females with eggs) <my pearlscale looks like golfball with fins > , but if they are having trouble swimming (eg. can't stay upright or can't sink), that's a sign of trouble.

Fancy golds are prone to constipation & swimbladder problems, esp. if all they get are goldfish flakes. They do much better with a varied diet high in vegetables (just like us!). I feed mine some peas, or other veg. at least once a week <some said daily> to prevent problems.

So go ahead & feed them peas. It's good for them.

 

[cspaccio]

How many peas should I feed them? I have 3 and they are only like an inch long each. Also, do I need to microwave the peas before feeding them? And should I cut them up or just plop them in?

 

[Fluff]

Microwaving them is best. Just peel them and let them cool. Or, what I did was just pinch the pea and squish it out of the skin. LOL Anyway, I would give them each one. If that seems to be to much, then next time, only give them two. Your gonna have to feel it out to see how much they will eat.

 

[jsoong]

microwave on high in a bit of water for 15 sec or so. Then skin as Fluff says. I would chop it up a bit for small goldies ... big ones can eat it whole.

 

[mle421]

does orleander still look pregnant? or did the peas help? i feed mine peas sometimes, but they make such a mess with them!

 

[cspaccio]

here's a recent pic of the chubbiest one

 

[mle421]

ohmygosh! he looks so bloated!!!!! maybe he is pregnant! i've never seen a goldfish look like that before!

 

[cspaccio]

exactly! and this was AFTER feeding him peas. i dont know whats going on....

 

[mle421]

holy conoli he's enormous. i just cant get over it.

 

[jsoong]

"He" may be a she!

Looking at the pic, the fat belly is pretty normal for fantails ... although if you can get an overhead pic we can see more clearly how fat she is.

I don't see any breeding turbercles on the fish to identify it as a male. It is possible this is not showing up in the pic, or that he/she is too young to show secondary sexual characteristics. How old & how big is the fish? My first thought looking at the pic is that this is a female with eggs. <It is close to spring & mating season!>

 

[cspaccio]

o my dear goodness gracious! Well, I have had him for about 2 months now. He's about an inch long, minus the fins. I'll try to attach more pics. Another thing is that I noticed he seems to be acting a little more skiddish latley and eats like a ferocious PIG. I dont know if those are signs of pregnancy or just a chubby fantail.

 

[jsoong]

He/she doesn't look fat at all! That's how fantails are. Oh & eating like a little pig is normal too!

1" isn't too big. The earliest I've seen breeding stars is around 6 months old. So keep a look out to sex your goldies. These are spots (in a row) around the gill covers & leading edges of the pectoral fins. If you spot them, you can be sure you have a male. Young ones will have that only during mating season, but by 1 year or so, males will have that all the time. So If you don't see any breeding stars this spring, chances are He is a She.

FYI, I've attached pics of my pearlscale (I'm pretty sure it's a she). She is rather fatter than yours, & I've seen rounder ones when full of eggs.

 

[Rudy_627]

great pics

dont know too much about gold fish all i know is that walmart doesn give a rats you-know-what about thier fish cause they had iva, ulxers, open sores, and fin rot and they just leave them in there!!! it makes me so p.o.'ed

but i read about some goldfish and fan tails are normally really really fat

at my LFS i asked why the fantail was so fat she said that the get evern fatter like the size of a golfball fat!!!