I have a very sick calico oranda. He was acting a little sluggish the last few days, and this morning, he stayed in the plants on the bottom. Now he is upside down near the filter. He has been getting swollen in his abdomen and seems bigger now.
I have a 29 gal with 3 goldfish and a small plecos. Lots of plants. I did a 30% water change today, an got some Furan-2 and Maracyn at the pet store.
I don't know if he is suffering. Should I put him out of his misery? How long should I wait. The other fish seem to be fine.
Does anyone know what I should do? :*(

Hi swimmie'smom, and welcome to the board.

It sounds like he has swimbladder disease. Fortunately, this is usually due to constipation - the swollen tummy is a clue - and can be easily treated by fasting him for a day or so and then feeding peas, very lightly boiled, de-skinned and mushed. These act as a laxative, purging his system and relieving pressure on the swim bladder organ. You might well find this is enough to bring him upright again.

Also if you are feeding dry foods and not soaking them first this may worsens or also cause SBD often times.Rarely is it viral so I wouldnt worry about that and if your water quality is good it shouldnt be bacterial either.What do you feed them and what is your water quality?

I am feeding them Bio Blend goldfish food. I don't soak it, but they sink when I put it in. I change the water about every three weeks. the ph was 7.0 before I changed the water and was 7.6 after the change. It usually stays at 7.6. I have had the tank for 8 months. I didn't check the ammonia or nitrites.
He is really swollen looking.

Hi again, 3 weeks is really a bit too long between changes. It's best to change between 30 and 50% of the water weekly, with a gravel clean, to keep the water in best condition. Poor water quality inhibits the fish's immune system and leaves it more open to dseases. The other reason is - as you have noticed - the pH of the water drops if it is in the tank for a long time (natural decomposition processes increase the acidity). Fish do not like large pH swings, so it's best to keep the level as regular as possible with more frequent changes.

The swollen belly is most likely down to constipation. If you fast for 2 days and then feed only peas for a few days after that you will see a big difference.

Hi, and thanks. I was changing every week and slacked off. Do you think I should continue the antibacterial regimen? It won't hurt the other fish will it?

It shouldnt hurt them at all as long as it is made to be given to them and is dosed properly according to the instructions.

One question I have since no one has asked......Is the scales sticking out?

I have been watching closely for that and haven't seen any, but I just checked him and it looks like the scales may be sticking out slightly. I hope he doesn't have dropsy. He is on the bottom upsidedown breathing a litte rapidly.