Is Your Goldfish Constipated?

I recently read a story online about a goldfish that died at the ripe old age of 43. I marveled at the story because my goldfish only seem to last a couple of months. What caused this fish to live so long? No doubt he received great care and was raised in optimum water conditions.

Goldfish are actually hardy fish but they are many diseases that they can die from including constipation. If you want your goldfish to live a long and healthy life you need to make sure that you treat the aquarium properly. Goldfish can be a bit messy and you need to make sure that you clean their water diligently vacuuming up all feces and uneaten food on the bottom and doing partial water changes often. Also it is important not to overcrowd the tank as this can cause the water quality to go downhilll fast.

Here's some aquarium diseases that your goldfish might be prone to:

Constipation
while, this is not a disease per say it does have to do with what you are feeding the fish. if you notice that your goldfish is trailing feces behind him, then he is probably constipated. This means that you are not feeding him the right kinds of foods, perhaps his diet is too fatty or just not varied enough. Just like in humans, you can remedy this by giving him more roughage. Try feeding him spinach, peas or even tubifex worms. You should also soak dried fish foods before letting your goldfish feed on them and this will help with his digestion.

Swim Bladder Disorder
swim bladder disorder happens more in the fancy goldfish and is a problem with him swimming where he will seem to be floating up near the top of the tank or down at the bottom. This happens more often and tanks that have bad water quality so keep your tank In good condition.

Dropsy
Dropsy is a bacterial infection that attacks the fish from the inside. The symptoms are that your goldfishes scales will look like they are sticking out from his body. This is a very serious aquarium disease and by the time you notice your fish have it, it's probably already too advanced treat.

Ich
Ich is a common aquarium disease which is actually a parasite that attaches itself to your fish. It is often called white spot because It looks like little white dots, like tiny grains of salt on the fish. If you leave this unchecked it can get quite bad as the spores multiply excessively.

Fin Rot
Fin Rot is another bacterial infection which attacks the fins of your goldfish. this will cause his fans to look ragged and you will notice over time that it progresses up the fin until nothing is left. This can be treated successfully if caught early on..

Most all goldfish disease can be avoided by keeping your tank clean. Remember to do periodic water changes and don't crowd to many fish in the tank. Watch your fish for signs of constipation and other disease and you too might have a goldfish that lives to the ripe old age of 43!