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I have an unusual question about my goldfish, hope someone can answer it

4K views 21 replies 8 participants last post by  caroknap 
#1 ·
Okay so I have three goldfish in a 40 gallon setup. They're quite happy, I'm just worried about my lionhead, Kiwi. It's three years old now, and compared to his tankmates still quite small. Someone in a fish store mentioned to me that goldfish can get stunted. I have two orandas in the tank with him, Chicko who has grown to almost 5 inches(also 3 years old), Pinky a redcap who is about 3 inches (2 years old). Kiwi, who is three years old is the same size as Pinky, about 3 inches. The thing with Kiwi though, is after I bought him I realized that its tail fin is slightly deformed (one half is bent over) which causes him to swim upside down because he loses his balance all the time. I'm wondering if because of his disability his growth may have been stunted? Also I'm worried that as the other two grow bigger, it'll be more difficult for Kiwi to get any share of the food. Any ideas?
 
#4 ·
I'm not a goldfish expert but I think that the reason Kiwi is swimming upside down is not because of the tail. We need pics to verify this, but from your description, it seems that the tail deformity isn't that severe. I've seen goldfish with very damaged tails but this doesn't cause them to swim upside down. They mostly aren't able to move or just stay at the bottom.

I think your goldfish has swim bladder problems, that's why it goes upside down. There are many prossible causes for swim bladder problems, and I guess it's Lupin's forte to explain that, not mine. hehe.

40 gallons seems OK for 3 goldfish. Could you post the exact dimensions (LxWxH) of the tank just to be sure?
 
#5 ·
Sure thing, uh I'm new to the forum so I'm not entirely sure how to add attachments of pictures...
Yeah I've heard about swim bladder problems, I just always assumed it was because of his tail that he would do that.
My tank size is 36 x 12 x 19
If you could let me know how to post the pics, I will do it :)
 
#16 ·
Hi,

I just got back from my bout of flu again.

Adiumroot is right. It's not often the fin kinks would cause a fish to flip upside down. The main cause usually is air which fish can consume when they eat foods that include air as they ingest them in the process. This is a primary reason why I do not feed my fancy goldfish flakes, floating pellets and freeze-dried stuff anymore. What do you feed your fish?

Unfortunately, Kiwi does look stunted especially with its eyes looking largely disproportionate to its body size.:sad: Growth is inhibited usually by release of growth hormones in response to stress. Until the stressors are removed, the constant growth inhibitions may eventually result in stunting. A few things that influence growth spurts is abundance of food supply, stress-free environment by maintaining clean water and less than crowded conditions. Even genetics play its role here in influencing the growth potential of your fish.
 
#20 ·
Yes, it came back barely 9 days after I recovered from my first.:shock:

So what exactly should one be feeding their goldfish(s) ?
What do you feed yours ?
Mostly gel foods which comprise Mazuri gel powder, Knox gelatin, acidophilus, calcium, multivitamins, sardines, vegetables, etc, and sinking pellets. Bloodworms, shrimps, extra aquarum plant cuttings, mosquito larva and occasional earthworms also add a nice compliment to the meal. My choice of pellets are Hikari Lionhead. I keep mostly orandas, ranchus, crown pearlscale and lionhead myself so the additional protein from Hikari Lionhead encourages their wen to accelerate a bit. Saki Hikari is another good brand to have around.

Pond types can do better on floating foods than fancy types as their GI tract is not as compressed as the pond types such as shubunkins have.
 
#18 ·
Hey Lupin! Sorry to hear about you getting the flu twice! It's really bad these days, be careful and get better!
Also thanks for your wise words.
Although they were disappointing to hear I kinda already figured what was coming.
My fish definitely have an abundance of space right now. But maybe it's the swim bladder problems that can be adding stress then huh?
I've been feeding my goldfish mostly flakes, just recently adding blood worms to their diet. I never thought the flakes were a problem since none of the other fish would swim upside down, but it makes sense as well, Kiwi is a little different than my other two. But usually when I do feed them flakes, Kiwi usually hangs around the middle of the tank waiting for the flakes to drift down. Kiwi is a slower swimmer (I'm sure because of the tail fin) and the other two are usually the ones taking their food down with large intakes of air. So I'm kind of confused as to why Kiwi would have swim bladder problems if she never eats her food with air ?
What I'm also worried about is the competition for food in my tank. The largest one usually gobbles up most of the food. Is there any way I can ensure that Kiwi especially gets fed a larger portion?
Any recommendations for their diet? Anything I can do to reverse the effects of stunting? Thanks so much everyone!
 
#21 ·
Have you tried handfeeding Kiwi before? Either that or using a divider usually helps to get a fish to eat his fair share of foods. I mentioned earlier about gel foods. They're generally the best choice to have for floaty fish as the starch from several commercial food products also plays its role in buoyancy issues by letting the bacteria that digest the starch produce gas as the bacteria attempt to digest the starch. Hikari Lionhead does not have too much starch although unluckily, some goldfish have been found too sensitive on it as well (not as much as other brands) so a few goldfish had to be kept on strict gel food and vegetable diet instead although sardines/mackerel/tuna can be added for a little protein intake to encourage good growth.

There's no telling how big Kiwi may still gain but usually added space, very clean water and frequent feeding will encourage one to gain growth spurts. It's not easy to know though how much growth Kiwi can gain.:-?
 
#22 ·
Thanks so much Lupin I've read both your posts, and I have a feeling I'll be running out to the store to buy the Hikari brand pellets in no time. Also, I came upon the gel food recipes that I believe you posted in some other thread. They seem a little intense but I think I can set apart a day to try it out.

I think i'll try out more of the handfeeding teachnique. Currently I just wait until the other fish are fed until I feed Kiwi. Maybe if things get bad I can try out a divider but for now I'm an optemist.

And even if he doesn't grow any bigger I'll still love him all the same. :)
 
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