Treating SBD in Goldfish

SBD, or Swim Bladder Desease, is a digestive disorder that often occurs with fancy goldfish. It occurs when a goldfish gulps down air with it's food, causing constipation. In golbloid shaped goldfish, the guts and swim bladder are linked, so if a fish becomes constipated, the swim bladder will not be able to deflate. This means that your goldfish will be stuck on the surface of the water and very uncomfortable. In some unusual cases, if the fish becomes constipated when the swim bladder is deflated, the fish will be stuck on the bottom rather than the top. Luckily for the fish, SBD is relatively easy to treat, but your fish will probably not be able to return to the food that caused the problem. The best way to treat the disorder, is to feed frozen peas. Make sure that they have been cooked and remove the skins, then mash them up between your fingers and hold the pieces near the fish's mouth. Once the goldfish eats the pea, it will go through their digestive tract and they will no longer be constipated, of course, this will not be instant. Melafix medicine is good to add as well as the peas, it will not cure the fish, but it will make the fish more comfortable. Don't feed the fish normal food of any type during the treatment. After one day of treatment your fish should be cured, if this doesn't make the fish better over night, try feeding more peas, and make sure the fish eats them. Once your fish is cured of SBD, DO NOT feed them flake food or floating pellet food that isn't GoldPro, these foods are the cause of the disorder. Gell food is good, and sinking pellets are good (soak for 3 minuets before feeding). Give your fish peas on a regular bases as well to help prevent the problem, and be sure to clean your tank often. I hope these tips can help you if your fish has SBD.