Pet Forum / Aquaria / Goldfish / October 2004

Greetings all,

I have a fish that is floating upside down and I have done the
following.  I am having no success and I don't know how to proceed
next.  I really like this fish but if there is no hope, please tell me
now so he won't suffer any longer.  (Throughout the treatment, I turn
the fish over in the water and "walk" him around a few times a day and
I change the water with new water at 86 degrees.)  Thank you!  Jen

Day 1: Brought fish home (from tank at work) and set him up in a 20
gallon hospital tank with about 3" of water; raised it to 86 degrees
and added 1 tsp epsom salt; 3 inch airstone and a heater.  The filter
wouldn't draw that low so I couldn't use it. No food. Poops were very
airy and stringy
Day 2-4: Continued the above and no food. I change half the water in
the morning and half in the evening.  The fish became less bloated but
still floated upside down.  He developed a little sore on the part of
his belly that is out of the water - I put some Neosporin on it and it
got better over the next few days.
Day 5: Fed him one pellet of MediGold (from GoldFishConnection.com -
active ingredients: sulfadimethoxine & ormetoprim sulfa) in the AM and
continued the same as above.  Poops were thin, light brown.
Day 6-7: Same feed and treatment.  He seemed to get more bloated.
Poops the same.
Day 8: Since I saw no progress, I fed him a pea instead of the
MediGold.  Still floating, seems to get more bloated.  Poops thin and
green.
Day 9: Same treatment.  Fed him one pellet of Medigold.  Still
floating.
Day 10: Did a complete water change and added 1 tsp. of epsom salt.
Fed one pellet of MediGold.
Day 11: Fed one pellet of MediGold, no additional epsom salt.
Day 12: Complete water change. Fed no food today. Still floating,
seems weaker and more bloated.  Developed small black specks on one
part of his belly that is out of the water - ammonia burn?