Why is my goldfish shaking his head?

Shimmying is a symptom rather than a single disease, and an indication that a fish no longer has proper control of its nerves and muscles. It occurs when fish are under severe stress, most often because of environmental problems.
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How do you tell if a goldfish is stressed?

Strange Swimming: When fish are stressed, they often develop odd swimming patterns. If your fish is swimming frantically without going anywhere, crashing at the bottom of his tank, rubbing himself on gravel or rocks, or locking his fins at his side, he may be experiencing significant stress.
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Why is my goldfish thrashing?

What it could mean: If you've noticed that your fish seems to be rubbing or banging against things in their aquarium frequently, they could be displaying what's known as “flashing,” or “itchy fish.” As the name implies, a fish that's constantly banging up against things in their aquarium could actually be trying to ...
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What does a fish seizure look like?

Sometimes the fish is genetically predisposed to seizures and might even be epileptic, but most times there is a singular reason for the episode. If you notice your tropical fish moving or twitching rapidly and unintentionally with shortness of breath, then your fish might be having a seizure.
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How do you calm a stressed goldfish?

Ways to Reduce Fish Stress
  1. Change water frequently to keep nitrate and ammonia levels low. ...
  2. Check water temperature for consistency regularly to prevent stressful fluctuations.
  3. Provide an optimal filtration system like the Fluval Underwater Filter that captures debris and bacteria while ensuring proper oxygenation.
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SEVERE Twitching



Why is my fish shaking his head?

Shimmying is a symptom rather than a single disease, and an indication that a fish no longer has proper control of its nerves and muscles. It occurs when fish are under severe stress, most often because of environmental problems. The classic scenario is when mollies are kept in soft or acidic water conditions.
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What are some signs of ammonia stress in a tank?

The signs of ammonia stress are usually pretty easy to detect, especially if you are paying attention to your fish regularly.
  • Lethargy.
  • Loss of appetite.
  • Hovering at the bottom of the tank (especially for surface dwelling fish)
  • Gasping at the surface.
  • Inflamed gills.
  • Red streaks or inflammation in the fins.
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Why is my goldfish having seizures?

What Causes Seizures in Goldfish? Seizures in goldfish are somewhat mysterious, but there have been some suggested causes: Infection or illness: Bacterial, viral, or parasitic infections may lead to seizures due to stress, oxygenation problems, or interference in the normal functioning of the brain.
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How do you treat fish shimmy?

If your livebearer is shimmying, provide the optimal living conditions with higher pH levels from 7.0 to 8.0, warmer temperatures between 76° and 80°F, and increased mineral content. If you have soft water, minerals can be easily added with supplements such crushed coral, Wonder Shell, and Seachem Equilibrium.
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Why is my fish swimming erratically?

Fish Swimming Erratically: If your fish is swimming erratically, he could just be playing or exercising. If your fish does it this consistently and seems unhealthy, the cause may be poor water quality.
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How do I know if my goldfish has parasites?

Symptoms include loss of color, difficulty breathing, excess mucus secretion, listlessness, clamped or tattered fins, flared gills and small blood spots on the fins and body.
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How do I know if my fish has ammonia poisoning?

Symptoms include:
  1. Purple, red or bleeding gills.
  2. Fish may clamp, may appear darker in color.
  3. Red streaking on the fins or body.
  4. Fish may gasp for air at the surface of the tank water.
  5. Torn & jagged fins.
  6. Fish may appear weak and lay at the bottom of the tank.
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Do water changes stress fish?

The answer is that regular water changes are important for the long-term health of your fish. The dissolved wastes in the water, which are not apparent to the naked eye, won't kill the fish outright, but as wastes gradually accumulate the stress reduces their immunity to disease.
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Will my fish recover from stress?

Once the panic has passed, the fish must also regain its natural balance. This can take hours or days, even after only a short period of stress. Long-term changes, such as a poor or unsuitable environment, are handled with the same initial response – an alarm message to escape.
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How do you know when fish are sick?

Sick fish
  1. Loss of appetite.
  2. Weakness or listlessness.
  3. Loss of balance or buoyancy control, floating upside down, or 'sitting' on the tank floor (most fish are normally only slightly negatively-buoyant and it takes little effort to maintain position in the water column)
  4. Erratic/spiral swimming or shimmying.
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Is fish TB contagious to other fish?

Mycobacterium spp. can infect mammals, birds, reptiles and fish. Some species will cause a localized infection, while others a full-body, systemic disease. This disease is called "fish tuberculosis" since Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the causative agent for tuberculosis in humans.
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Can goldfish get depressed?

It turns out that not only can our gilled friends become depressed, but some scientists consider fish to be a promising animal model for developing anti-depressants.
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Can salt cure fish fungus?

This is the reason that body fungus infections are not seen on saltwater fish. Adding 1 tablespoon of noniodized rock salt to each gallon of water is helpful in effecting a cure. In fact, salt might be all that is needed in early cases. Salt can also be used in combination with malachite green.
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Is it possible for fish to have seizures?

Here we show that seizures can be elicited in a simple vertebrate system, for example, zebrafish larvae (Danio rerio). Exposure to a common convulsant agent (pentylenetetrazole, PTZ) induced a stereotyped and concentration-dependent sequence of behavioral changes culminating in clonus-like convulsions.
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Can a fish drown?

Most fish breathe when water moves across their gills. But if the gills are damaged or water cannot move across them, the fish can suffocate. They don't technically drown, because they don't inhale the water, but they do die from a lack of oxygen.
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Do fish have brains?

Fish typically have quite small brains relative to body size compared with other vertebrates, typically one-fifteenth the brain mass of a similarly sized bird or mammal.
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Can a goldfish recover from ammonia poisoning?

Prognosis for Fish with Ammonia Burns

If fish do not suffer severe bacterial infections following ammonia burns, then they usually recover well and can be reintroduced into the tank within a week. Fish with advanced infections or those that are exposed to rapid rises in ammonia levels may die.
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What removes ammonia from fish tank?

One of the easiest and most efficient ways of lowering ammonia levels is by performing one or more water changes. Water changes will immediately remove the ammonia from the fish tank and introduce safe water that will help dilute the remaining traces of ammonia left in the system.
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How do I reduce ammonia in my fish tank?

How do you reduce ammonia levels?
  1. Water change! ...
  2. Add cycled filters. ...
  3. Water conditioner. ...
  4. Ammonia Levels – removing filter media. ...
  5. Double check how many fish are in your aquarium. ...
  6. Overfeeding. ...
  7. Perform regular maintenance. ...
  8. Don't kill your beneficial bacteria!
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Why does my fish vibrate?

Shimmying or shaking of the fins and tail are usually signs of flirtation. I've also seen circular chasing and nipping or kissing (where the two fish grab each other's mouths) prior to mating. Chasing across the tank is more often a sign of aggression.
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