Question
I have a goldfish pond with 5 large goldfish. Yesterday when I got home I found my calico goldfish on the bottom of the pond on his side.  He would move for short distance when I put a net close to him.  The other 4 fish look and act fine, we tested to pond and everything seemed okay.  We also treated for ick just in case.  Today he is still on his side on the bottom of the pond and will only move a little bit if I get the net close to him.  What should I do with my fish,  I do not want him suffering.  Is there anything I can do to help him??  Does he poise a threat to the other fish if I keep him in the pond until he does pass?? (the fish is only 2 1/2 years old).  

Answer
I'm sorry to hear about your goldfish.  How big is the pond?  How big is the fish?  It would be a total guess to say why he's on his side.  Ich is not very common in ponds but parasites can't be ruled out.  Those normally would be affecting your other fish though.  More likely, he suffered an injury, has an internal bacterial infection, or something is wrong with him internally (if you see nothing externally).  It could be hundreds of things.  I tend to leave ailing fish in the pond for a few reasons.  Setting up an indoor tank for a sick goldfish takes time and effort.  The stress of moving the fish sometimes hastens death.  I did treat one goldfish inside once, and he did recover.  She was all torn up from spawning.  Also, if the fish is contagious, the others are already exposed anyway.  You can try to treat the fish indoors.  I suggest treatment with aquarium salt (a tablespoon per 2 gallons or so), antibiotics (something like Maracyn by Mardel), and perhaps some MelaFix if you see any external problems.  To confirm parasites (aside from obvious ick, velvet, fish lice, anchor worm, and so forth) normally requires examination of scrapings under a microscope (which I've never done).  You can also add the salt and MelaFix to the pond (both are safe at low doses).  As I said, the other fish are already exposed to whatever the ill fish has (and what he has may not even be contagious).  Unfortunately, often, there's not much that we can do to help our fishy friends.  Good luck!

Robyn
fishpondinfo.com