Comments on: 11. Fish Disease Symptoms https://tankstartguide.com Based on Science and Logic Mon, 04 May 2026 23:41:16 +0000 hourly 1 By: Jeck Frost https://tankstartguide.com/11-fish-disease-symptoms/#comment-3638 Mon, 04 May 2026 23:41:16 +0000 http://tankstartguide.com/?page_id=1802#comment-3638 In reply to Jeck Frost.

I’ll just leave this here in case it helps someone: the fish continued behaving like this for another 10 days and, unfortunately, suddenly died. It was an extremely sad loss for me, he was named Puk, a Ranchu goldfish :`(

I believe that if there were no previous signs of swim bladder problems and then the fish suddenly becomes passive (just lying on the bottom most of the day, while sometimes still swimming, eating, and staying upright), it’s worth starting a course of broad-spectrum antibiotics within 2–3 days, as recommended in relevant articles. It’s better than nothing

]]> By: David Bogert https://tankstartguide.com/11-fish-disease-symptoms/#comment-3591 Tue, 31 Mar 2026 13:00:55 +0000 http://tankstartguide.com/?page_id=1802#comment-3591 In reply to Jeck Frost.

In reply to Jeck Frost …………Antibiotics will do nothing for most cases of swim bladder disease. Just learn to live with it.

]]> By: Jeck Frost https://tankstartguide.com/11-fish-disease-symptoms/#comment-3588 Mon, 30 Mar 2026 19:16:50 +0000 http://tankstartguide.com/?page_id=1802#comment-3588 In reply to David Bogert.

Is such behavior in itself potentially dangerous? Perhaps it would be worth giving antibiotics occasionally as a preventive measure? Thank you very much in advance for your answers!

]]> By: David Bogert https://tankstartguide.com/11-fish-disease-symptoms/#comment-3582 Mon, 30 Mar 2026 03:13:11 +0000 http://tankstartguide.com/?page_id=1802#comment-3582 In reply to Jeck Frost.

In reply to Jeck Frost ………Like all fancy goldfish ranchus are very susceptible to swim bladder disorders. Nothing one can do about it. She can live a long life spending much of the time on the bed of the aquarium.

]]> By: Jeck Frost https://tankstartguide.com/11-fish-disease-symptoms/#comment-3580 Sun, 29 Mar 2026 05:17:49 +0000 http://tankstartguide.com/?page_id=1802#comment-3580 Hello Dave! I don’t know who else to turn to. I have a ranchu goldfish that previously suffered from dropsy and popeye, but thanks to your articles I was able to cure her when there was almost no hope left—thank you so much for that!

However, I have a different concern now. The fish has no obvious symptoms, she eats and sometimes swims, but suddenly she has started spending most of the day lying right on the bottom. Could this be a symptom of something, and is there anything I should treat her for as a precaution? She has never behaved like this before, and she is only a couple of years old.

]]> By: Dave https://tankstartguide.com/11-fish-disease-symptoms/#comment-1849 Mon, 14 Apr 2025 05:00:36 +0000 http://tankstartguide.com/?page_id=1802#comment-1849 In reply to DOREEN SIMONSON.

In reply to Doreen ……. Just keep feeding the Maracyn and the Paracleanse. Note the prognosis with a fish that “lays down” is not good.

]]> By: DOREEN SIMONSON https://tankstartguide.com/11-fish-disease-symptoms/#comment-1848 Sat, 12 Apr 2025 19:35:20 +0000 http://tankstartguide.com/?page_id=1802#comment-1848 Dear Dave
I hope you can help. I have a 2 year old angelfish who is laying on the bottom of his hospital tank. He had some white growths on him around his head so I took him out of my big tank and fed him medicated food with Maracyn (your recipe.) I also treated him with Para cleanse just in case it was a parasitic problem. The white growths are gone now and he looks perfectly healthy. He hasn’t eaten in about 5 days. He gets up, swims once around the 20 gallon hospital tank and then lays back down. When he sees me he gets up for a minute then lays back down. I don’t believe it to be swim bladder disease. Is there something that you can suggest?

]]> By: Brad - UK https://tankstartguide.com/11-fish-disease-symptoms/#comment-1847 Fri, 12 Jul 2024 15:35:37 +0000 http://tankstartguide.com/?page_id=1802#comment-1847 Thanks Dave. I feared that may be the case. In the UK access to antibiotics is hard for animal or humans. It’s going to be a challenge.

I am over filtered so upset that this occurred. Do you think I need to look at environmental issues as well? I.e. something else upsetting the balance that I should investigate?

Thanks,
Brad

]]> By: Dave https://tankstartguide.com/11-fish-disease-symptoms/#comment-1846 Thu, 11 Jul 2024 22:45:00 +0000 http://tankstartguide.com/?page_id=1802#comment-1846 In reply to Brad – UK.

In reply to Brad …. That is fin rot on both the top and the back fin. The fish needs some antibiotic laced food. https://tankstartguide.com/index.php/10-3-4-fin-rot/

]]> By: Brad - UK https://tankstartguide.com/11-fish-disease-symptoms/#comment-1845 Thu, 11 Jul 2024 15:58:26 +0000 http://tankstartguide.com/?page_id=1802#comment-1845 Hi Dave,

I think its getting odd – I cannot work out if this is aggression or something else – see image below where the top seems to be missing.

https://www.sanechoice.cloud/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/fish-scaled.jpg

Any ideas?

Brad

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