Clinical, necroscopical, and etiopathogenetic aspects in aquarium goldfish (Carassius auratus auratus Linnaeus, 1758) with disturbance of the hydrostatic balance

Clinical and necroscopic aspects of four aquarium goldfish (Carassius auratus auratus Linnaeus, 1758) are reported. All the studied specimens experienced disturbance of buoyancy. Three cases out of four (75%) are referable to varieties with high weight/length index and to swimbladder hyperinsufflation, with only a "mixed" case (hyperinsufflation of a chamber associated with desufflation of the other). Only one specimen out of four (25%) showed inflammation of the swimbladder, resulting from an ovaritis due to impaired ovodeposition. The etiopathogenesis of the studied cases is discussed basing upon bibliographic reports regarding swimbladder structure and function with particular regard to autonomic nervous control. The aim of this study is finding proper husbandry countermeasures to prevent o solve similar situations.