An unknown Goldfish disease - please shed some light

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LeopardTortLover

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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.
 

wellington

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RE: An unknown Golfish disease - please shed some light

See if you can post a few pics. Fish usually do look change color, when lights are out and they are in a night time mode, they usually get lighter. They also will do this when stressed or scared. Maybe he is getting his true color in, now that he is better taken care of and has a larger tank. He may be growing into his true color?


Oh and some fish will be a totally different color in their fry and junior years and change complete color and markings into adulthood. I have know idea though if the Shubunkin is one that does this.
 

LeopardTortLover

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RE: An unknown Golfish disease - please shed some light

Tomorrow morning I'll take a picture of him when I've first turned his lights on and I can guarantee he'll be black with dots. Then I'll take another when I'm turning his lights off and he'll be near enough "normal" colours (orange and white with the black dots remaining visible on his tail).

I thought the same as you at first, but on closer inspection the dots move, and disappear and reappear throughout the day - they're not his scales. He's such a tough little fish and has put up with so much bad treatment :( I dont want him to just survive, I want him to live. Don't know what to do Barb :(

I've also tried a hospital tank - nothing but water. And I took the black lid off -this helped massively - but couldnt be permanent. As soon as the lid went back on the dots came back. Its like whatever it is hates light.
 

Levi the Leopard

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RE: An unknown Golfish disease - please shed some light

I'm stumped..

pictures may help me. I'll check back for those.
 

wellington

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LeopardTortLover

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RE: An unknown Golfish disease - please shed some light

wellington said:
Check this out. I don't think you have anything too worry about. I do think its what I said in my first post. About their color changing due to night time and day time.
Here is the site. http://www.kokosgoldfish.invisionzo...dfish-color-fades-overnight-returns-next-day/

Wow! What a great find!!! Thanks :) I really do hope it is this, and I'd be happy to accept it was this, if it wasn't for one thing... the flashing (swimming fast/darting around). I've read when fish are itchy, or the parasites are on the move, they'll suddenly dart around. He does this so fast sometimes he'll literally thump against the glass and make a bang. He's injured himself recently and has caused a bleed - it doesn't look too bad today, seems to have calmed down a bit.

Thats the only reason Im a bit sceptical to think its this, I want it to be this though. I also don't know if a fish could survive living with parasites for over a year? Even a hardy species such as goldfish.


That really was a great find actually. Because it mentions food can affect colours, since he's been in the new tank I've changed his food from flakes to soaked pellets. Before he lived in the new tank I never noticed he did this because he was downstairs and not in my room. You've put my mind at rest slightly thank you :)
 

wellington

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RE: An unknown Golfish disease - please shed some light

I missed the flashing part. That is a sign of ick. However, ick are tiny white spots. I did read though that the white spots will turn black as the fish is healing from ick. I have no idea if this is true.
Look up "fish lice" could that be it? That actually goes with you saying the spots seem to move and appear in different spots. They will appear black when they have blood in their bodies.
 

LeopardTortLover

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RE: An unknown Golfish disease - please shed some light

Fish lice is seeming most likely. I've found a website which has been helpful: http://www.fish-treatment.co.uk/freshwaterlice.html

I think its Argulus. And will buy this Lice-Solve today: http://www.fish-treatment.co.uk/products.html

I think its a mixture of him changing colour naturally, and the fish lice. No idea how he's got them, think its through poor water. Im going to buy this product, and Im praying it works! I'll update back in a few weeks and let you know.

Thanks so much for your help!
 

LeopardTortLover

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Erm... not really. The black spots on my fish are really tiny - like grains of salt. But because there's so many they have formed black/Brown patches. The spots in the picture are raised off the fish, whereas on mine they aren't.
I have looked into black spot before and I don't think it's that.
I'm so puzzled!


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Can you see the patches? They're not scales - they're made up of tiny Black dots.
 
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