I'm looking after my dads cats this weekend, he's got 2 goldfish too, they've just been moved to a new tank - he did it all properly didn't just plonk 'em in.

But one of the fish looks like he is struggling to stay upright- is there anything i can do to help the little fella?

This sounds like a swimbladder problem, which can be very serious depending on the cause. Sometimes it's a simple case of bloat, which can easily be cured by feeding less dry foods and varying the diet; Magnesium sulfate (a.k.a Epsom salts) would also help in this case by clearing out the digestive tract.

Other causes can be more sinister. Tumors, internal organ damage, infections and trapped gas (from feeding at the surface) are also possible causes, with the first two being completely untreatable.

To establish the exact cause, we'd ideally need a set of water test results and some details on the tank and diet. Unless you're able to gather this information, it might be best to leave the fish alone (without feeding) and let your dad deal with it. Ask him if he can get the details that I mentioned earlier, and if you could post them on here, we can offer some advice to help rectify the problem.

He's going to get the water tested when he gets back, they got fed last night, but i will refrain from feeding them while i am here. They are on Tetra Goldfish flakes at the moment.

Now he is just lying on the floor of the tank

I would certainly recommend moving them away from flakes as the main dry food, look for some slow-sinking pellets instead.

With swimbladder problems, the fish has no way of controlling it's own vertical position or buoyancy.

Sounds like the goldfish is having a swim bladder... In that case, don't feed your goldfish for 2 to 3 days... Don't worry, he'll be fine and that will help him recover... After 2 to 3 days, feed the goldfish with boiled baby peas... the peas should be pealed too... Just give the fish that food for one week...

To prevent you goldfish from having swim bladder, soak the food before dropping it into the water... This is to prevent the food from floating... When you let your pet fish get their food on the surface of the water, they will gulp too much air which can cause the illness...

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Carissa Montez
Writes about Goldfish Care