fatboy

this is how a normal goldfish swims. upright.

but for the past two months, fatboy (above) has been swimming upside down.

in the beginning, it was able to right itself after a while. it's like it's drunk. it tethers and totters and then flips over. 

it made great entertainment. we would laugh when it did that. at the same time, we thought its days were numbered.

every morning, the first thing oz says when he approaches the fish tank is: still alive ah?

he then proceeds to feed it and fatboy, despite its belly up position, will gobble everything down, ahead of its two compatriots. hence its nickname.

lately, fatboy is no longer able to flip over. when it does, it doesn't stay upright for more than three seconds before it's belly up again.

and far from in the last throes of death, it has a very healthy appetite still.

and there is where the problem lies apparently - the healthy appetite.

i googled "why do goldfish swim upside down" and found to my amusement that our fatboy is suffering from constipation!!

when output doesn't equal to input, the excess pushes against the swim bladder and causes our friend to be off balance.

the solution: starve the bugger!!

apparently, after nature takes its course, fatboy will be right again, pun fully intended.

we'll see :-)