This may turn out to be quite a long thread so I appologise in advance but I REALLY need some help as I don't know what is wrong.
I'll start from the beginning...
Just over a year ago now I had my Shubunkin Goldfish in a 21 litre bowl with no filter (its appauling i know but I didnt know any better then). He had been kept like this for 9 years and has been completely fine other than stunted growth. One day I was cleaning his bowl out and put him in another tub while i did it. He leapt out of the bowl, hit the table, and fell 3 foot onto the carpet. I don't know how long he'd been there when I found him - but as soon as I did i put him back in the water and thank god he started breathing!
At this point I realised how shockingly I'd been keeping him, and I upgraded him to a 54 litre tank with lights and a filter Fluval U2 a few weeks later. This is when all the problems began. Under the lights I noticed some small BLACK (important) salt-grain sized dots on his tail. I researched and thought it was black ich - so I treated for ick with no results (I understand the lifecycle of ich and treated for months with medicine). I also tried treating with aquarium salt.
NOW he is covered, and I mean COVERED in these dots - so much so he is barely orange anymore. The really weird thing is... when the lights go off at night, he turns BLACK. When the lights go on in the morning he is black, and by evening when Im turning the lights off for night time THE DOTS ARE ALMOST GONE and he is pretty much a normal colour.
I've researched sooooo much and have no idea what is going on. Has anybody heard of anything like this? He's had it for a year, and hes now 10 years old. He's flashing a lot which makes his tummy turn red like he is bleeding internally. it goes after a few weeks. His gills are red too.
He still eats like normal and swims normally. PLEASE help me, I dont know what to do and I hate to see him living like this - I dont want to lose him through this.
Thank you for any help.
I'll start from the beginning...
Just over a year ago now I had my Shubunkin Goldfish in a 21 litre bowl with no filter (its appauling i know but I didnt know any better then). He had been kept like this for 9 years and has been completely fine other than stunted growth. One day I was cleaning his bowl out and put him in another tub while i did it. He leapt out of the bowl, hit the table, and fell 3 foot onto the carpet. I don't know how long he'd been there when I found him - but as soon as I did i put him back in the water and thank god he started breathing!
At this point I realised how shockingly I'd been keeping him, and I upgraded him to a 54 litre tank with lights and a filter Fluval U2 a few weeks later. This is when all the problems began. Under the lights I noticed some small BLACK (important) salt-grain sized dots on his tail. I researched and thought it was black ich - so I treated for ick with no results (I understand the lifecycle of ich and treated for months with medicine). I also tried treating with aquarium salt.
NOW he is covered, and I mean COVERED in these dots - so much so he is barely orange anymore. The really weird thing is... when the lights go off at night, he turns BLACK. When the lights go on in the morning he is black, and by evening when Im turning the lights off for night time THE DOTS ARE ALMOST GONE and he is pretty much a normal colour.
I've researched sooooo much and have no idea what is going on. Has anybody heard of anything like this? He's had it for a year, and hes now 10 years old. He's flashing a lot which makes his tummy turn red like he is bleeding internally. it goes after a few weeks. His gills are red too.
He still eats like normal and swims normally. PLEASE help me, I dont know what to do and I hate to see him living like this - I dont want to lose him through this.
Thank you for any help.