My 17-18 year old goldfish hasn't eaten as normal for a couple of days.

[BirthdayRainbow]

I'm thinking I can't take him to the vet so does anyone have any suggestions as to what might be wrong or what I can do to help him? If in fact, there is anything wrong. TIA.

Have you tested your water parameters? If not I would start there to see what your ammonia, nitrites etc are like. The dip-sticks are not as effective as the proper kits with little droppers.

No, but we haven't changed anything that we've done his whole life.

Thank you.

Fishnet! 😁

So why ask for advice then? Testing water parameters is the first and most basic thing to do when a fish is sick. The majority of the time that will show you what the problem is. If you’re not going to do it, then fine, but I’m not sure why you’ve bothered asking for help in that case. What were you hoping someone would say?

OP should be testing as part of the weekly
maintenance anyway. How big’s the tank and what else do you have in there?

Wow.

clearly we've done a terrible job looking after this fish as he has got to the age he is with us just doing what we are doing.

he lives alone now

Not necessarily, how big’s the tank?

@BirthdayRainbow

Best people to talk to are a decent shop selling fish. At that age however it might just be time. I had one goldfish live to 15 (including age 8 have an "operation" to remove a cyst my dad did!) and another went to live at that point in my grandads pond and was still alive when the house was sold aged 24.