Orlando goldfish stays on bottom

[sumpnfishy]

In my wife's tank, she has a fancytailed (sig photo) and a orlando goldfish that she got around 5 years ago. Lately (past month or so) the orlando pretty much sits on the bottom most the time. Along with a few snails these 2 fish share a 35 gal corner tank.

Water parameters are good:
Am: 0
Nitrites:0
Nitrates:10-20
Ph: 6.8 - 7.0
KH:3
GH:1

Nothing has changed in that tank in over 6 months (tanks been up for 8+ months) and I do PWC every 2-3 weeks based on Nitrate levels. Filtration is provided by a Marineland canister filter rated for a larger tank. They are fed goldfish (I think Tetra) floating pellets (which has been a problem for the orlando to get too).

Other than sitting on the bottom like a catfish the fish acts normal. Just wondering if anyone has ever seen an older fish get too lazy (and fat) to swim around? If you look in the attached photo you see that it has small fins. I'm thinking it just is an old fish that has to work too hard to keep swimming. Never had fish like this so I didn't know if this is a normal occurance. Should the fish go on a diet?

The other fish acts completely normal. My wife is getting concerned and I'm not sure what to tell her (other than all fish die eventually).
Do I need to prepare her that the end is near?

 

[jsoong]

Yes, older fish do slow down. Esp. for fancy golds, the swimbladders are not that well developed & they need energy to get up to the top. As long as the fish isn't flipping over & still can move around, there is not too much of concern here.

The average life span of a fancy gold is 5-7 years. Even though there are older specimens, these tend to be single tailed (eg Shubunkins) or at least have a lot of single tail traits. <BTW that fish has no dorsal fin, so is actually a Lionhead with a wen, rather than an Oranda. Lionheads are poor swimmers to start with, so is going to slow down even more with age.>

You might want to try feeding sinking pellets (or soak your floating pellets until they sink) & maybe try some peas (blanched, shelled & chopped up). Occasionally, golds get swimbladder dysfunction from constipation & feeding veggies can help. Raising the temp to mid 70's might also help to liven up an older gold.

 

[sumpnfishy]

Thanks for the info. That should make my wife feel better. I'll put a heater in and I bet we'll be going to the store for "special" foods.

Against my advice she has grow "attached" to these fish. But with her interest I get to spend money on my tanks too.

 

[sumpnfishy]

Wanted to post an update for anybody that sees this issue with their goldfish.

I plugged in the heater to warm the water as jsoong suggested and after a couple of weeks the goldfish is now swimming around and acting very normal.

So based on that I guess some goldfish seem to be happier in warm water.

Thanks jsoong!

 

[jsoong]

You're very welcome! I am glad the fish is feeling better.

It is a myth that all goldfish like cold water. The fancier variety (like that lionhead you have, or Pearlies) are sub-tropical & do much better in a heated tank.

 

[ryansimpson]

In my wife's tank, she has a fancytailed (sig photo) and a orlando goldfish that she got around 5 years ago. Lately (past month or so) the orlando pretty much sits on the bottom most the time. Along with a few snails these 2 fish share a 35 gal corner tank.

Water parameters are good:
Am: 0
Nitrites:0
Nitrates:10-20
Ph: 6.8 - 7.0
KH:3
GH:1

Nothing has changed in that tank in over 6 months (tanks been up for 8+ months) and I do PWC every 2-3 weeks based on Nitrate levels. Filtration is provided by a Marineland canister filter rated for a larger tank. They are fed goldfish (I think Tetra) floating pellets (which has been a problem for the Orlando to get too).

Other than sitting on the bottom like a catfish the fish acts normal. Just wondering if anyone has ever seen an older fish get too lazy (and fat) to swim around? If you look in the attached photo you see that it has small fins. I'm thinking it just is an old fish that has to work too hard to keep swimming. Never had fish like this so I didn't know if this is a normal occurance. Should the fish go on a diet or spend a little time at an Orlando Resort ?

The other fish acts completely normal. My wife is getting concerned and I'm not sure what to tell her (other than all fish die eventually).
Do I need to prepare her that the end is near?

Awwww, I know how you feel. The same thing happened to us and Tinkerbell, yes that is the fish, miraculously got better. I wasn't keeping the water warm enough.
Hope all stays well with your fish!
Take care,
Ryan