# Abnomally fat goldfish, unknown sickness



## The Game (Aug 15, 2010)

Hey there, my friend has been telling my about how she has a pond that had goldfish in it. She kept saying that one of them was very fat and I figured that it couldnt be that serious until i actually saw it. This goldfish looked as if someone had pumped it up with an air pump. She said it had been like this for more than 2 months already. I did not get a good look at the scales to see if they were raised. I would have said it was dropsy, but it should have died ages ago if that was the case. Plus, the size of this fish is absolutely shocking. Pictures of dropsy is nothing compared to this fish. I showed a picture of a goldfish with dropsy to my friend and she said that it was nothing compared to her fish. I really want to know whats wrong with this fish and if possible, cure it. I do not know the exact size of this pond or the filtration, but it may be overstocked and Im not sure about the water quality. The rest of the goldfish lookk healthy though.


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

Please separate the fish in a hospital tank and get pictures. This may not be really dropsy unless the scales are actually protruding and eyes popping although not all symptoms will appear altogether. We have to consider the other possibility, polycystic kidney disease (PKD). This can be associated by too much fluids already inside the body and kidney tissues disintegrating. Once this happens, the issue is irreversible. Does the abdominal wall seem very thin? Squishy?

Please post water parameters, temperature, filtration, water change schedule, foods and other necessary information you can give us.


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## The Game (Aug 15, 2010)

As I mentioned before, this is not my pond or fish. I only got to see the fish from the top. I seriously doubt that its dropsy as all cases of dropsy that I have seen do not seem this severe. It is a fairly large goldfish and my friend said that she does not have a container or tank to isolate it in. From my perspective, it would fit into a bucket, but with barely any space to swim around. Just swim up and down. Would you reccommend isolating this fish in a bucket? As I mentioned before, this fish has been this big for more than 2 months and my friend said that they do not feed their goldfish much, although I do not know their definition of 'much'. I will try to get a picture of the fish. I will also look up the diseases you mentioned and try to see if they match. Thanks.


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## The Game (Aug 15, 2010)

Ok I looked up polycystic kidney disease and the images look very similar. Is there any cure or remedy for it? If not, what would be the best sort of action for now. Also, how can i be sure that it is polycstic kidney disease. Any other more obvious symptoms?


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

Get a rubbermaid tub and take pics from there. No, there is no cure. The fish may at some point lose the will to live. PKD involves severe kidney damage. When you aspirate the fish, the resulting liquid will not reveal presence of the kidney tissues indicating renal damage is beyond repair or treatment.


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## The Game (Aug 15, 2010)

oh... well is there any other signs i should look out for to make sure its PKD?


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

Bottom sitting and loss of appetite are pretty much the ones you can look out for.


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## The Game (Aug 15, 2010)

alright ill ask my friend if theres any signs of those. As it is their fish and pond, Im not exactly keen on getting a tub just to check on the fish, but ill ask them if they have a tub they could spare. Would I be able to just scoop it up in a bucket, photograph it and maybe observe its behaviour for a while? Oh and another thing, when i first saw the fish, it actually came up to the waters surface, which was how i got a look and it was sticking its mouth out of the water with its mouth opening and closing. Ive never actually had goldfish so im not sure if thats normal behaviour. Is it?


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

It's gasping. I forgot to ask you this. What is the color of the gills? If completely pale, then it is a sign of severe organ damage already. The fish may eventually lose its will to live.


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## The Game (Aug 15, 2010)

hmmm ill have to check with my friend or check the next time i see it. ill keep you updated. thanks for your help so far.


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