How to Cure a Floating Goldfish

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By Aubra Penner
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A floating goldfish may have digestive problems.

If your goldfish is floating at the top of his tank, and can't seem to sink or can't stay down in the water for long, he may have pockets of gas trapped in his digestive system. You can cure your sick goldfish easily in a few simple steps.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Frozen peas
Toothpick
Sinking goldfish food
Aquarium salt (optional)

Step 1

Thaw a frozen pea in a little warm water. When it is soft, squeeze it gently so that some of the insides squish out through the skin. Skewer the pea with a toothpick, so that it will float where the fish can easily eat it. Float the pea in the fish tank.
Step 2

Give your fish a fresh pea every day for a few days. Do not feed him any other food.
Step 3

After a day or two of eating the frozen peas, your fish should be able to sink and swim freely again. You can continue to feed him peas for a day or two after this.
Step 4

When your fish can swim normally, feed him only sinking fish food; floating food, such as flakes, can cause him to swallow air, which will only make any other digestive problems worse.
Step 5

If your fish does not improve, you can try adding a little aquarium salt. Follow the directions on the package or, as a rule of thumb, add no more than one tablespoon per 10 gallons of water. If this doesn't work, consult a veterinarian.

Tips & Warnings

Be sure that the toothpick you use is untreated; you don't want to add anything to the water that will harm your fish.
Don't be too hasty to add antibiotics to your fish's water; this usually won't help, and might upset the balance of your aquarium.