Red Capped Oranda swollen.

[amitnarain]

hello. i have a red capped oranda about 1.5 inches with the tail. it's belly has swollen and its like floating. actually its struggling to stay at the bottom of the tank. what should i do apart from stopping to feed it?

also its tail seems to be fanning (splitting) what could cause this? note that it is not being bitten off as i have a lionhead of same size in the tank and its alright.

 

[Zagz]

Feed him peas for starters. Take some frozen peas and skin them. It sounds like a swim bladder problem. Don't feed him any other food for now. You may have to treat the tank with meds but start out with the peas and see if he eats them and improves. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[Devilishturtles]

it's belly has swollen and its like floating.

Is it just large, or are the scales protruding?

Could be dropsy if you have scales sticking out. Treat with an antifungal med asap. If it's just bloated/constipated then I'd follow Zagzs' advice

 

[Zagz]

I forgot about dropsy . Or rather I think I try and forget about it. Yes if the scales are protruding treat as DT recommends ASAP.

 

[amitnarain]

nope the scales are well stuck on the body.

 

[greenmaji]

maybe its time to swap out fish again with the relitive.. how big is that tank 10 gallons?
how many times an hour does your filter cycle the water?
If you got a new tank please since your last posts.. explain your setup for the oranda..

this is what I ment when you got the oranda.. if the tank is too small its very hard to keep the water clean enough to keep it from getting sick. for the fish, please upgrade if you havent done so.. 30 gallons miniumum for the oranda and bigger if you still have the comets..

 

[amitnarain]

my oranda is with other goldfish (5) smaller than an inch in a new tank which has a cycles sponge.

right now i need help. my oranda is still breating but no longer struggling. it is floating at the top of the tank. what should i do? is it going to die? i really like that red cap. please say something anyone.

 

[amitnarain]

15 gallons, 5gold fish smaller than an inche (normal goldfish), 1 lionhead and 1 red cap oranda both 1.5 inch including the tail.

 

[greenmaji]

Lots of pwc's.. daily.. that is the only way to squeeze a fish thats not intended for your tank size, all of the fish your keeping will get too big and before they do that they will get sick, and it will only work for a short period of time... get a bigger tank or smaller fish.. you'll save yourself headaches and heartaches..

 

[greenmaji]

btw.. did you try to feed it pea's? it very well could be constipation as alluded to earlier.. the original advice is good to start with since your not having normal dropsey simptoms..
if peas dont work (the fish eats them but still no emprovment) it might be something else..
but as I said before.. the tank is too small to maintain exeptable water conditions for the species of fish you have desided to keep.. this is your intital problem and these problems will reoccure without the tank size problem being delt with.. pea's and medication might not help at this point if the tank is criticly too small..

 

[amitnarain]

my fish wont eat the peas. ive tried to force it holding it in my hand in the water and feeding it small pieces of peas but it wont eat. it takes it in but releases it in a short. what can i feed him now?

 

[Devilishturtles]

my fish wont eat the peas. ive tried to force it holding it in my hand in the water and feeding it small pieces of peas but it wont eat. it takes it in but releases it in a short. what can i feed him now?

Sadly, nothing probably. I didn't see you answer your other questions. When was your last water change? How about ammonia readings?

Honestly, it sounds like ammonia poisoning to me, and not a constipation problem at all. 7 goldfish in a 15 gallon tank is a whole lot more than you should have. I know it may not seem like it now, but they really do produce ALOT of waste. If you do a good gravel vaccuming, you'll notice this.

I remember a few months ago when you asked about tank mates for your comet, and it was reccomended that you don't add anything else, and actually get a larger tank for it if you wish to keep it. The same advice still stands, except now you've got way more than you should have. Sadly, it's just going to keep causing you problems, I'm afraid. Not what you want to hear I'm sure, but it's the truth.

Keep doing daily water changes. If you don't have a test kit, you can buy one or take your water to your LFS to get tested. That would help alot.

HTH

 

[greenmaji]

my fish wont eat the peas. ive tried to force it holding it in my hand in the water and feeding it small pieces of peas but it wont eat. it takes it in but releases it in a short. what can i feed him now?

do daily water changes (25% or more).. get a bigger tank or get rid of the fish.. then I could give you some advice (this was in my post earlier).

there is only a select few fish that are sutible for a 15 gallon tank.. non of wich are even related to the goldfish..