FISH HAVING SIEZURES (video) PLEASE HELP!

Question

Okay, there's something wrong with my goldfish. I don't know what, but I'm really scared. I'm in tears right now cause I don't know what's wrong. He's my baby and I hate that he's not well. I posted a video on youtube of what he's been doing since it's too hard to explain. But I'll try anyway in case you don't want to watch the video.

Okay so I walking in m room today to do my lunch feeding for my fish, and I see my fish just kind of hanging out in the corner of his tank. Face down, bum up in the air, and when I looked closer, his eyes were moving around and he seemed to be awake and not dead. He just looked really tired.

Then I waited for about 5 minutes, and all of a sudden he shook really bad and starting swimming around and shaking furiously. then after about 15 minutes of that, he swam calm for a few seconds, and resumed his position in the corner.

PLEASE help my baby! I don't know what's wrong with him. I'm really scared!

ps, I just cleaned the tank after I filmed the video. I'm aware that it's small and there's no filter, but I clean the water every 2 days, and he's been fine before. I've only had him for a week or 2, and I've gotten very attatched!

Here's the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=139flEBxFqc

Answer 1

Big large frequent water changes stress out fish, this why all fish should be kept in tanks. This goldfish needs atleast a 20g tank. It looks like he's gasping for oxygen since it's a small bowl with no surface agitation, this is why filters are needed. I hope your not using soap at all because it will irritate the fish greatly. Goldfish die slow painful deaths in these small bowls. It's like keeping it in a closet, he doesn't like it very much. Get him a tank.

Answer 2

Your goldfish is fine. That is what they all do. He is not "shaking". Goldfish swim in that weird twitching way. A lot of goldfish do that.

Goldfish are very lazy fish. Mine will hang around all day, just floating and moving around in the corner. Then they will swim around fast like, "shaking furiously" as you put it. But trust me, it is just the way they swim.

You fish wont live long, though. Sorry :(

Goldfish get VERY large and one goldfish needs at least a 29 gallon tank. Any smaller and they will get sick and die. That myth of them only growing to the size of their enviroment is just that, a myth. Thats like saying you can put a human baby in a box and it will be perfectly healthy and never grow.

WRONG

Also, goldfish produce three times the amount of amonia regular fish do, and water qualitys can soon become toxic to them. They need superior filtration.

Goldfish in bowls usually only live a year, if they are lucky. Goldfish in tanks and ponds that are the proper size can live 20-40 years. The oldest reported goldfish was 43.

Here are several videos. You can see the twitchy way in which goldfish swim. Yes, some are more active then yours, but yours is fine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zD3XgKYPm...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HP4muB-tp...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-kw2Tb2a...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQxUJtkKZ...

Im not trying to be mean, I know you love your goldfish, but you either need to buy a suitable sized tank, or you need to not own a goldfish. Its as simple as that. A bowl is a very long, slow, cruel death to goldfish.

EDIT: I highly doubt seven years, but even if it did by some chance live that long, does 7 years for a fish that can live 40 years sound like a very health fish to you? humans can live 80 years, and that would be the same as a 14 year old human dieing. Not healthy at all.

Answer 3

.....my fantails were all little 'piggies' and would show excitement like this when i sat near the tank.....they knew food was very possible

....if you do obtain a bigger tank for your fish, include some live plants too....goldfish 'like' to nibble of plants

....also, plants provide a nice place for fish to relax, sleep and enjoy

...the fish in the video seems  to be a anticipating 'something'

...you may reduce feeding him to 2 times every two days

....it will take a little time for him to condition to the change

...but if he thinks he gets food every time you enter the room he will be very disappointed is he does not receive food and will try hard to get your attention

.....i know it is very 'tempting' to feed him when you visit with him

..try to resist

Answer 4

Get him a bigger tank! He doesn't look unhealthy, just frustrated about having to swim in his own p**p in such a small bowl.

You'd be freaking out too.

Answer 5

Me and my 3 siblings have in all had over 50 goldfish, the past like 10 years, and it's not seizures, try a bigger bowl, seems like your fish is trying to get out! is the water not clean ? maybe something in the bowl he doesn't like ? maybe he is hungry ? maybe your fish sees something, try keeping the bowl on a different surface

Answer 6

Fantails always act different and swim funny cause of their tails..he is just fine..lokks healthy!

Answer 7

i know that its not seizures...

the fish sees something that he/she likes... my dwarf gourami that ive had for 4 years still does this nonstop almost i dont think theres anything wrong.. remmeber he/she was ina tank about prob 20 times the size of that so he could be trying to find where he can go...

Answer 8

From the video, it looks like hes freaked out by being in such a small jar. See, from a fishes view point, it looks like he can swim, but when he tries, he runs into the glass, and it scares them. Then they just get frustrated, and freaked out. Maybe you should get a bigger tank.

Answer 9

it looks like hes just swimming. get him a bigger bowl. that's animal cruelty in my eyes.

Answer 10

what he's doing as far as I can tell if Flashing, though it's not as bad as what i've normally seen. It's just when a fish darts around the tank madly because it's irritated/allergic or ill.

Do you wash the bowl with soap?

if you do clean it out again without soap, soap is very bad for fish, sometimes will kill them, sometimes wont, i used to wonder my goldfish did that then i realised it was the soap when i stopped using soap he was cured.

i cant see any other symptoms on this body or anything so for now just answer that if you can.

if nothing gets better, try Methylene Blue, it's for sick goldfish a medicine. However only use it if your goldfish becomes very sick, worse than he is now as it's strong stuff and can sometimes do more harm than good to a reasonably healthy fish. You could try a salt bath with aquarium salt? google it.

You already know the bowls too small so i wont bother lecturing you lol but please try and get something bigger, like a rubbermaid plastic container? a big one would do fine even for a more permenant time. Even if it's not see through goldfish dont mind lol. He may appear healthy but goldfish kept in bowls often aren't too healthy inside =]

good luck though