Hi! My neighbor was moving recently and they gave me their fancy goldfish. They set the tank up for me so I didn't look closely at the fish at that time. It is swimming upside down and has a very large red lump. What is this and is there anything I can do for it? I appreciate any advice you can give me. Thanks so much!
Goldfish swimming upside down and large red lump on stomach
- Thread starter broussti
- Start date
Unfortunately I have to agree that you should consider euthanasia....
Thanks for responding. I was hoping that someone has already seen something similar. I changed the water last night and added some aquarium salt. As of right now, the spot doesn't appear as swollen or angry looking, so it looks to have helped somewhat. I won't keep this poor fish alive if it is in pain, but I will wait to see what happens in the next few days. Sadly, I do have euthanasia in the back of my mind... 
I've never seen a fish looking that bad... I mean usually I never right off the bat recommend euthanasia but that guy may need it sadly... You COULD try salt and daily water changes for a week or two to see if that helps but honestly looks really bad.
jesusjones
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Is the red spot floating above the water? If it is, I'd say the floating came first and the redness second.
Is the fish a Fighter?....does it have the will to live!? If it still tries to act normally, (eating food, swimming to see you) I would not give up on it just yet.
The floating means too much gas inside the fish, this sometimes can be digestive/food issue or a float bladder issue. Does the fish eat?? (Do not feed it peas, they cause gas) There may be food that could help with the digestive part. The swim bladder would take some anatomy knowledge and medical supplies to attempt treating.
The fish also won't recover if it is upside down, sounds silly, but weigh the fish down so it floats the right way and stays underwater. Fish are often tagged on their fins by conservation, I figure an earring through the lower fins would be a reasonable way to weigh it down. (wrapping cords or bands around the fish is a worse idea IMO)
Just some options, food for thought. Don't be discouraged by whatever may happen to the fish or the choices you make
Is the fish a Fighter?....does it have the will to live!? If it still tries to act normally, (eating food, swimming to see you) I would not give up on it just yet.
The floating means too much gas inside the fish, this sometimes can be digestive/food issue or a float bladder issue. Does the fish eat?? (Do not feed it peas, they cause gas) There may be food that could help with the digestive part. The swim bladder would take some anatomy knowledge and medical supplies to attempt treating.
The fish also won't recover if it is upside down, sounds silly, but weigh the fish down so it floats the right way and stays underwater. Fish are often tagged on their fins by conservation, I figure an earring through the lower fins would be a reasonable way to weigh it down. (wrapping cords or bands around the fish is a worse idea IMO)
Just some options, food for thought. Don't be discouraged by whatever may happen to the fish or the choices you make
Thank you so much for replying! I am not sure how I missed your response. The red spot is on the part of the fish that is above the water. The fish is a fighter! It is still alive, eating, and trying to swim around the tank. The swelling on one side of its belly did not go away, so it is still floating upside down at the top of the water. Since my original post, I have completed numerous water changes, added aquarium salt, and did three treatments of Kanaplex. It helped the fish tremendously, and the red spot went away completely. Unfortunately, the red spot has started coming back todayIs the red spot floating above the water? If it is, I'd say the floating came first and the redness second.
Is the fish a Fighter?....does it have the will to live!? If it still tries to act normally, (eating food, swimming to see you) I would not give up on it just yet.
The floating means too much gas inside the fish, this sometimes can be digestive/food issue or a float bladder issue. Does the fish eat?? (Do not feed it peas, they cause gas) There may be food that could help with the digestive part. The swim bladder would take some anatomy knowledge and medical supplies to attempt treating.
The fish also won't recover if it is upside down, sounds silly, but weigh the fish down so it floats the right way and stays underwater. Fish are often tagged on their fins by conservation, I figure an earring through the lower fins would be a reasonable way to weigh it down. (wrapping cords or bands around the fish is a worse idea IMO)
Just some options, food for thought. Don't be discouraged by whatever may happen to the fish or the choices you make
I would love to get the swelling to go away and the fish swimming correctly, but I am not entirely sure how I feel about putting an earring through its fin. I would not feel comfortable doing that.jesusjones
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You are doing a good job of giving it fighting chance.
Clean water goes a long way. Goldfish are very hardy and can recover from much more than smaller tropical fish. But know, the fish being upside down and swollen is a telling sign that things are bad internally for the fish and being upside down will only lead to further deterioration of its condition. The float organ, can't properly drain fluids when its upside down, unfortunately. Also, if the fishes scales start sticking out, making it look like a "pine cone", or it looks much worse very quickly, its condition is too far gone to recover.
Flipping it manually and keeping it that way is indeed tricky to do. Perhaps, you can get a band/weight (like a hoop earing) that would fit loosely around the base of the fin but not slip off. Or, you can try keeping the fish in very low water, that would help it "sit" on the bottom and stay right side up (this would require much more frequent water changes). Or a combination of both.
Try what your comfortable with, be gentle on it and yourself. Even with expert medical intervention, it might not make it.
Best of luck
Clean water goes a long way. Goldfish are very hardy and can recover from much more than smaller tropical fish. But know, the fish being upside down and swollen is a telling sign that things are bad internally for the fish and being upside down will only lead to further deterioration of its condition. The float organ, can't properly drain fluids when its upside down, unfortunately. Also, if the fishes scales start sticking out, making it look like a "pine cone", or it looks much worse very quickly, its condition is too far gone to recover.
Flipping it manually and keeping it that way is indeed tricky to do. Perhaps, you can get a band/weight (like a hoop earing) that would fit loosely around the base of the fin but not slip off. Or, you can try keeping the fish in very low water, that would help it "sit" on the bottom and stay right side up (this would require much more frequent water changes). Or a combination of both.
Try what your comfortable with, be gentle on it and yourself. Even with expert medical intervention, it might not make it.
Best of luck
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