Is my goldfish dying?

[MaryPoppinsPenguins]

He's laying on his side on the stones at the bottom... he's about 20... can I do anything? I'll try to add a picture...

He lays there for ages and then does a little swim but on his side almost...

Like this...

I was told to give my goldfish peas when he was like this. I would put two or three peas in the microwave and then peel them and drop them in the tank. My goldfish loved them and it did seem to work. Hope he is OK.

Google says something about putting salt in?

Thanks, I did the peas earlier but he's not eating them...

Oh sorry the peas didn't work. Hope you find something. Have you had the water tested?

The poor thing’s in a totally inappropriate tank which won’t be helping matters. What are your water parameters? If it’s about 20 years old then it’s very stunted.

I don’t know anything about fish but that tank looks tiny!

That's not a good picture... the curve of the tank is making it look small because I'm really close trying to get a picture. The tank is huge! It's suitable for three full grown fish.

I don’t know what to suggest - there’s a thing called disease safe for fish that is meant to be pretty good but he has had a good innings at 20 years old...

Is the water well oxygenated? How long has that tank been set up?

It's called swim bladder. Both our goldfish had it and sadly we lost them. I didn't try the peas though and I've read that a lot since so hopefully your fish will recover xxx

The tank is far too small, it really should be in a pond. It needs to have 10 times its length to be able to swim properly.

Belly looks lumpy has it eaten stones?

He's hanging in there but still isn't right... we spoke to a few people and got salts for the water, all new stones and stuff... maybe it's just his time

If it was swim bladder it would be upside and in the top water

It’s a biorb. Totally unsuitable for goldfish, due to its capacity, tiny surface area and poor filtration. Basically a death bowl.

Pets at Home do drops for this but I can’t remember what it’s called - it’s not swimbladder; that’s floating at the top.

Treat him (mine recovered) and then look at his tank. Biorbs are pretty awful for fish; especially goldfish.

Agreed.... get a proper tank if he pulls through and turn the biorb into a bottle garden.

It can't be much of a death bowl... we've had him in this or a variation of this for over 20 years. So he's not doing bad for such a neglected goldfish

He needs a tank with a much bigger “footprint”.

Just because he’s lived for 20 years doesn’t make it a suitable tank. His growth is very stunted.

He's massive. He's the biggest goldfish I've ever seen.

He’s not massive. Fully grown he should be 10-12 inches long. When kept in tiny tanks like this their growth is stunted, problem is their internal organs continue to grow, usually leading to much suffering and early death. Don’t kid yourself, he’s survived this long despite the conditions he’s been subjected to. Bowls like this are fucking cruel, end of.

The bowl is huge and the fish is huge. You are seeing a very close up shot on a curve... it's not an accurate representation.

It’s not just the size of the tank, it’s the shape. Round bowls / tanks don’t oxygenate as well due to smaller surface area.

I hope your fishy friend is ok.

PetsAthome sell treatment for swimbladder and also get your water tested pronto.

Is that a biOrb tank op? I would have loved one of them.