Question
I have a white, with orange and black flecked two tailed, common goldfish. I've had it for almost a year. It's not old, either. Lately though, I've noticed that it stays near the bottom a lot! To describe a normal day, I would feed it once in the morning, and it would be hyper and active and hungry, as usual. After feeding, I'd turn the pump back on. Then around midday, it would just float near  the bottom, sucking aimlessly at rocks. But in the evening, when I feed it again, it gets excited, as usual. After that though, it just stays near the bottom. I'm worried, though, at why it stays at the bottom. I think it's bored. I change the water frequently, the temperature's fine, and everything. I don't think it's sick. Do you think it is just bored? It has no partners either. It probably is, but lately it has gotten worse. It wold just lay on the bottom, every once in a while, swimming to another position. What is it doing???

Thank you!

Answer
It sounds like a calico fantail.  Common goldfish have a single tail.  A single-tailed goldfish with three colors is a shubunkin.  A fancy goldfish with three colors is a calico.  Fancy goldfish are bred to be deformed.  Part of their abnormality means that they are fat-bodied and their swim bladders are squished up into their bodies which can cause swimming problems.  Swim bladded disorder is pretty common, and your fish may or may not have it.  It's pretty common for fancy goldfish to sit around although my 3 boy fantails are always swimming (not so with other fish I've had in the past).  How big is the tank?  If it's under 10 gallons, then it's not large enough.  Either way, I would check the pH, ammonia, and nitrite levels (get test kits if you don't have them) to be sure they're okay.  I suggest weekly 50% water changes for tanks and for bowls which are not good long term, it may be necessary to do water changes every day or two to keep the water chemistry good.  If the water isn't clean (you can't see most chemicals), it will make the fish lethargic.  As far as the swim bladder problems go, you can pre-soak the fish's food and feed sinking foods so the fish sucks in less air.  Also, sometimes feeding cooked, peeled peas can help fish with swimming problems.  If he swims fine when off the floor, it's more likely that there's a water quality problem.  Boredom certainly can be a factor as well.  Goldfish like friends but you need to have enough room (20+ gallon tank).  Does the tank have good filtration and aeration?  If there's no aeration, you need to add that which would make the goldfish more active and feel better with more oxygen.  Check out my site for more information at http://www.fishpondinfo.com

Good luck!

Robyn