My upside down fish.

Why do fish float upside down when they die?

NC

Not all fish float upside down when they die. Some say that fish caught from the Northern Hemisphere float and the ones caught from the Southern Hemishpere don't. But I don't know if there's any truth behind that. Also could be that they died there at the surface, so that's the water level they stay at. And they turn over cause they can't keep themselves righted anymore.

Well, I'm sure there's scientific reason behind it. I'll let you know if I find it.

Last summer we had a lot of hot days in a row. Five of my pond Goldfish turned up on their sides from lack of oxygen. I revived them by spraying them with a fine mist of cool water. They pulled through and are doing great.

fish float upside down because their floats bloat and fill up with the max amount of air so they act like a raft that is blown up and float to the top

my last goldfish used to float on the top (he wasn't dead) and then swim around. He lasted over a year that way.....

When he finally did meet his demise - - he was at the bottom, not floating on top - - go figure!!!

Fancy goldfish are always having problems with their swim bladders. It can be a problem if you overfeed them, feed them pellets, which if not waterloged first, will expand in the tummies, not good. I've heard someone recommend feeding more of a green diet to help the problem. That and not feeding until they swim normal again, which a fancy goldfish never can with their body shapped the way it is. In any way, it's one of the many reasons I don't like man-made fish. It's kinda like pure bred dogs, they always have health problems. Goes the same for any fish extensively bred in captivity.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Lydia:
my last goldfish used to float on the top (he wasn't dead) and then swim around.

When fish float on top of the tank it means that they have swim bladder problems. This is the mechanism that allows them to stay upright and under the water. It generally comes from, believe it or not, constipation, and can usually be helped by switching from flakes to pellets or vice versa...

To: Lydia,

What did you feed your goldfish?