A friend of mine has a pond with a number of goldfish in it. For several weeks now one of the fish has been lying on its side but seems lively enough. When righted, it swims away for a time before turning back onto its side.
Anyone have any idea of what the problem is? All the other fish seem OK to me.
Busted swim bladder? I don't think you can do much about this kind of thing. It's not catching though.
It sounds like a problem with the swim bladder.
If it is a fancy goldfish IE with longer than normal fins or very deep in the body with an unnaturally shaped tail, then it is a genetic problem of which fancy goldfish are very prone to.(nothing can be done)
Or the swim bladder has an infection.
Besides keeping it in warm water for the rest of its life, there is nothing of use that can be done.(problem is that if it is to be returned to its normal environment, the problem will likely reoccur)
If it was mine, I Would overdose it with anaesthetic to put it out of its misery.
Very sad but I would start planning the funeral. :( I don't think they recover from this.
There's stuff you can buy to 'cure' swimbladder...you take the fish out, put in warm water and add the drops. BUT it's never worked as a permanent cure - my fish succumbed again and eventually died, so, yes, I'd go along with planning the Funeral. Sorry. :(
Thanks everyone for the advice and info. I've passed it on to my colleague. At least it is not a contagious situation.