Why is My Goldfish Laying at the Bottom of the Tank?

Like every other freshwater fish, goldfish encounter complications that can pose significant threats to their life.  If they are laying at the bottom of the tank this is usually a sign there is something wrong.  So why is my goldfish laying at the bottom of the tank?

If your goldfish is laying at the bottom of your tank this usually means there is a ammonia spike in the water, overcrowding, high level of nitrates. It can also be a result of an illness or disease affecting the fish.

Causes of Goldfish Laying at the Bottom of Tank

Several factors can cause your Goldfish to lay at the bottom of the tank. Here are some causes;

• Swim Bladder : The swim bladder of a Goldfish is vital for its swimming activities. The swim bladder of the Goldfish helps it to float by getting filled with blood gases. A damaged swim bladder can cause your fish to get stuck at the bottom of the tank, unable to float to the top and swim properly.
• Constipation : Constipation can also cause your Goldfish to gravitate at the bottom of the tank. A constipated fish will spend more time at the bottom of the tank and return after clearing its system. When you notice this problem, you should cut down the fish’s diet to clear its system.
• Stress : Stress is also one of the common factors that cause your Goldfish to stay at the bottom of the tank. After a long hard day, your Goldfish can decide to stay at the bottom of the tank to rest before it resumes its routine activities. It is also applicable to fish that you recently introduced to the tank.
• Aggressive Fish : When you have aggressive fish in the tank, your Goldfish will prefer to stay at the tank’s bottom to hide. You will only notice the fish come up once in a while and return to the bottom quickly. It does not mean there is anything physically wrong with the fish.
• Diseases : Several diseases can cause your Goldfish to lay at the bottom of the tank. Parasitic infection, bacterial infections, fungal infections, etc., can cause your Goldfish to become incapacitated and lay at the bottom, trying hard to fight the infections. You only have to treat these diseases, and your fish is back into its everyday healthy living.
• Poor Water Quality : Poor water quality is also one of the significant factors that cause Goldfish to lay at the tank’s bottom. Goldfish are quite hardy and can tolerate muck and algae to a certain degree but will go into partial hibernation if the water becomes too intolerable. You will notice your Goldfish staying at the bottom of the tank when the water conditions become unacceptable.
• Parasites in the tank:Parasites are one of the most significant factors that cause your fish to stay at the bottom of the tank. Parasites are one of the most significant causes of disease in fish, and when a fish gets affected by a parasite, you will notice the fish staying at the bottom of the tank. Heavy parasite load can also make the fish feel exhausted and lay at the bottom of the tank.
• Body modifications: The body shape and modification of your Goldfish can also cause it to lay at the bottom of the tank. Fish that have long fins tend to stay at the bottom of the tank most times because the tail weighs them down, making them quite comfortable at the bottom of the tank. Generally, the older the Goldfish gets, the longer it becomes.

Several parasites chew on Goldfish or even suck their blood. You have to get a way to get rid of these parasites to give your Goldfish a healthy living. Once you eliminate these parasites, you will notice your Goldfish starting to become lively and come up from the bottom of the tank.

The water’s high nitrate level can also affect your Goldfish, causing it to lay at the bottom. The ammonia level of the water can also be a cause for this action. You have to maintain and keep track of the water quality to ensure your fish’s healthy living.

So, as Goldfish grow old, they become lazy and stay at the bottom of the tank. Long fins, short body, oversized and heavy eye sacks, etc., are factors that cause Goldfish to lay at the tank’s bottom.

What To Do If Your Goldfish Is Laying at the Bottom?

There are several things to do when you notice your fish at the bottom of the tank. The steps you take will depend on what caused the fish to stay at the bottom of the tank.

You should perform frequent water changes in low water quality or water containing high ammonia and nitrate level while you maintain top-quality water for the fish. You can also make use of an excellent filtration system to ensure well-filtered water for your fish. If you can keep clean water, your fish will restrain from staying at the bottom.

If a damaged swim bladder caused your fish to stay at the bottom of the tank, you would have to treat it to help your fish recover. You can use antibiotics for the treatment, but you have to be careful not to use the wrong antibiotics, as it can be deadly. You can also visit a veterinarian in case the problem persists after treatment.

Constipation can cause your fish to stay at the bottom of the tank. You will have to help the fish get rid of the food quickly to prevent it from staying at the bottom of the tank. You can feed the fish with peas, as it is a proven remedy for constipation.

You can also cut down the diet of the fish to enhance the digestion of the food. Removing some members of the tank can help in cases of overcrowding. Overcrowding of tanks can also cause high ammonia, and nitrate levels of the water. Therefore, you have to avoid overcrowding the tank with fish to prevent stressing the fish and spiking the ammonia and nitrate level.

In case you have aggressive fish in the tank, you can remove them because timid fish tend to hide from other fish at the bottom of the tank to avert the wrath of large, aggressive fish. You can either remove the aggressive fish or remove the timid fish to ensure both fish’s safe environment.

In the case of disease and parasitic infections, you also have to treat the fish to save it from the stress of staying at the bottom of the tank. You can use specific medications to take care of the diseases, and parasites while providing your fish with a healthy life.

Note that it is not every time your fish lays at the bottom of the tank due to a disease or defect; you might need to administer medications or make adjustments to the environment. Your fish can also decide to rest at the bottom of the tank, coming up once in a while.

Why is my Fish Laying Sideways at the Bottom of the Tank?

It is a bad sign for your fish to lay sideways at the bottom of the tank. The primary cause of this disorder is when there is a problem with the fish’s swim bladder. When the swim bladder of a fish becomes too full, the fish will start to experience a problem with buoyancy.

You will notice the fish start to swim sideways, or lay sideways at the bottom of the tank. The fish can even float upside down in some cases. This disorder only occurs when there is a problem with the fish’s swim bladder.

How do I Know if my Goldfish has Swim Bladder Disease?

When your Goldfish has a swim bladder disease, it will exhibit various symptoms that will indicate the condition. The most obvious of the signs is the affected buoyancy. You will notice the fish starts sinking to the bottom of the tank, or float abnormally.

You can also notice the floating fish upside down or sideways in the tank. You will also see the fish struggling to maintain a position in the fish. When you see this behavior in your fish, you should know it has a swim bladder problem or disease.

Conclusion

There are several reasons why your Goldfish can lay at the bottom of the tank ranging from the ones that need medication to cure and those requiring environmental change. Your Goldfish can stay at the bottom of the tank due to stress, fear, overcrowding, disease, swim bladder problem, constipation, etc. You only have to know what caused your fish to stay at the bottom of the tank to get an adequate solution.