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Hi everybody on FP ! Before I start, I would like to thank you for taking the time to read this. Now I will begin: I was giving away one of my 7 Betta Fry to one of my friends, and they consider me to be a "Fish Expert" which I tell them I am not. They asked me a question I was not sure of the answer, so I told them I would post it here. They showed me one of their goldfish - It was extrememly fat recently, or so they said, and they think it may be pregnant. It keeps blowing bubbles, and I told them that Goldfish are not Bubblenest builders.... It was also kept with another goldfish so there is a possibility that they have bred... but anyway, is this fish pregnant or something else. I thought of a few things it could be other than pregnancy:

1) Bloat
2) Constipation
3) Dropsy
4) Swim Bladder (Not sure considering it never went upside down)

Or pregnancy still.... do you think it is pregnant or not?

Hi Jaylene - you bring up good possibilities.

i would ask you to ask them what size tank these goldfish are in. The fish "blowing bubbles" could actually be a sign of ammonia or nitrites. Goldfish, with their heavy mass, are big ammonia producers. We recommend 20 US gallons per goldfish or at least 20 gallons for the first goldfish and 10 gallons for each one thereafter. Eventually, they will outgrow this.

We would need the following:

Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Temp:

If your friend doesn't have test kits or if you don't have them to help your friend test the water, take a bag of water to a fish store if you have one nearby. Most will test for free. Bring back the numbers to us.

What you should see is zero for Ammonia and Nitrite. The nitrate levels should be below 40ppm and ideally around 20ppm.

Goldies like pH on the higher side, but never expose fish to more than a 0.2 change in 24 hours as it can kill them.

If the fish is in a bowl, then that is a real problem. Its unfortunate that the stereotype has outlived what we know today about their needs.

At the very least, I suggest doing a partial water change. If this fish is in a tank, then have your friend begin daily water changes of 20% and make sure the change does not alter the temp more than 1C in either direction (or she risks ick if it is lower and making a possible infection worse if it rises).

The fish may very well be carrying eggs. Is this spring there in AUS? Are the days getting longer? If so, all the more it could be a she. However, spending time at the surface in what sounds like "piping for air", is a sign that something else is going on.

Hope this is a good start.