Back in September, I noticed that one of our goldfishes was getting round around the belly. My first thought was that it was the “piggy” of the trio and ate more than its share of the food. As its belly got bigger and bigger, I thought that perhaps it was pregnant. If that’s possible???
Over the months, the belly got soooo big that I thought the fish was going to explode. It also began having difficulty swimming normally….as of late, spending most of its time upside down.
When my parents were visiting earlier this month, my dad took one look and said, “your fish isn’t pregnant, it’s sick.”
So Aric did some research and discovered that our goldfish has Swim Bladder Disease. 
We tried some simple remedies (feeding it peas…yeah, peas.), but I pretty much expected it to go belly up at any day. But…but…but I’ve developed a strange attachment to our goldfishes, and have been trying everything short of taking it to a vet. < --because that would seem a bit ridiculous. 
Over the weekend, while Wil was here, we donned some plastic gloves and stuck a needle in the swim bladder to release some of the air (as indicated on some websites). Let me tell ya, it was not easy. We yelped, wimpered, and clung onto oneanother everytime the fish flopped. hehehe Of course, I made my sister do the dirty work while I held the fish still. We poked it twice, but didn’t know if it helped (still don’t). That night, Aric and I went to PetSmart for antibiotics. Our ailing fish is currently in quarantine and laying upside down at the bottom of the tank. Poor thing.…but at least it’s still alive. 
February 1st, 2006 at 9:35 am
eekss.. the fishy’s not better? booo. just thinking about the “operation” is making me all squeamish again. poor guy. i hope his scales are growing back.
February 1st, 2006 at 10:59 am
You lub your fishies!
February 1st, 2006 at 11:04 am
Oh dear! I hope it gets better!
February 1st, 2006 at 11:21 am
Oy! I’ve seen my fair share of swim bladder disorders when I worked at a pet shop. Unfortunately, a number of factors can contribute to this like water quality and the geometry of the tank (i.e. goldfishes need a shallow tank rather than a “tall” one). Funny thing is that I’ve seen some goldfishes live many years upside down as they usually expire due to starvation. Unfortunately, there’s no sure way to cure this disorder…only therapy
February 1st, 2006 at 2:30 pm
Mouji, thanks for the info. It’s good having friends who can share their expertise.
Today I noticed that the fish’s belly has deflated somewhat. It no longer looks as though its bursting at the seams. *whew!*
February 1st, 2006 at 11:40 pm
OHMYGOODNESS!!!! The measures you’ll go for a fishie
It’s nice to know you’re dedicated though. How are the girls handling it?
February 1st, 2006 at 11:46 pm
RE: Dina’s comment~
Summer could careless about the fishes. HA! But Ashlyn cried for about 10 minutes when she heard that we were going to poke it. But after we told her that we’re not going to, she was like, “it’s okay, mommy, you can poke it…i’ll be okay.” HAHAHA!
February 2nd, 2006 at 6:47 am
maybe i have swin bladder disease, too. i’ve been getting bigger arond the belly of lates:sad:
February 2nd, 2006 at 9:57 pm
i’m with toisan, perhaps i also have swim bladder. can i get someone to deflate my belly?:mrgreen:
February 3rd, 2006 at 10:45 am
i luv that you luv your fishies! i would’ve been right there with you and wil poking its belly. poor thing! my dad would just flush them once they flipped because they weren’t functioning. hope there’s some way it’ll eat!