the black spots could have been subdermal hematomas (spelling?) which are very bad and usual the last stages of an infection. literally internal bleeding. usually this condition starts with frayed fins or fin rot which is a sign of external infection. if your fish's fins are all perfect, likely there was no internal infection. the black spot might just be natural. black in most breeds is a transitional color. your orange fish was all black as a baby the turned orange from the belly up as it aged. sometimes for no apparent reason a little of the black comes back from time to time. usually on the fins. i notice it more in the spring than any other time. it might be influenced by environmental changes such as temperature. it usually only lasts a few weeks and has nothing to do with health. it is hard to tell which spots your fish has from the description. as for your goldfish, it might be sick, or maybe might have been bullied by the moore and unable to feed but still healthy. another possibility is your fish might be a female the moor a male and they may have spawned and your fish may have been tired and abused. the feces are troubling. below you will find a feces description and what they might mean. Healthy Feces - Should be the color of the food they consume. Short and somewhat chunky in appearance. Thin Floating Feces - Long and thin, the color of the food they have consumed. Typically poor diet related. Thick Floating Feces - Long and thick, the color of the food they have consumed. Typically a sign of overfeeding, can be poor diet related as well. Thin, White Floating Feces - White and stringy in appearance, it is usually a sign of an internal bacterial infection. Long, Thick Chunky in Spots with Mucous casing, Floating Feces - Typically the color of the food they have consumed, with large areas of what appears to be air bubbles in a mucous casing. This is typically being caused by the food fermenting. Soak food before feeding. Diarrhea - You will notice a brown tinge to the water. This is typically a sign of infection. Clear Long Feces - Re-absorbed eggs. my guess, tiered stressed and hungry becuse of the moore, or an internal infection. if the fish appears to be recovered or recovering you may not need medication. if the spots are still there look for a medication for dropsy and fin rot and follow the instructions. if it is on the up and up, use aquarium salt if you are already not doing so. if it is somewhere in between, use salt but double the amount recommended on the package for the next month then step back to the regular dosage. do a google search for salt "treatment" and "goldfish" for more info. good luck.

Thank you so much, KB. I am relieved to know that this is not abnormal. After hours and hours of searching the www, I could not find any pictures that looked like mine so I got worried thinking there was something I needed to do. I will just relax and let nature take its course from here. Joshy, thanks also for the distinction you made of the Belladonnas to the Hippeastrum and not being able to force the Belladonnas to bloom. I will not expect any great Christmas showing. I may need to go get a "Christmas Amaryllis" so that I can watch the differences in how they grow and bloom. Thanks again.

I have this lovely retaining wall ... and i want to .... cover it year round. ==>>>> well i surely dont understand why you want to cover it.. its magnificent ... ----------------- *Weeeping Alaskan Cedar 'glauca pendula' - I asked the nursery guy specifically if this was going to get too big and he told me that this one would not. True? ====>>>>> he is delusional ..... see link below for size potential ..... if it were me.. i would put in about 20 MINI conifers ... something like will had on his hillside .... most of those you list.. will grow 1 to 1.5 feet per year .. once established .... and will easily outgrow that spot inside 10 years .... where are you.. what zone 5 ... summer temps make a difference ... any adversity to mail order of smaller stuff .... is your local supplier able to order from iseli now for fall delivery.. or in spring ... look into CHAMAECYPARIS nootkatensis 'Green Arrow' .. for somthing EXTREMELY narrow .... and tall .... maybe two on each end .... with something yellow in between .... copy paste this into your browser: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=l4N&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&&sa=X&ei=KL92TLPwNoGxnAeW0uWcCw&ved=0CCMQBSgA&q=chamaecyparis+nootka+green+arrow&spell=1 i would go to great lengths.. to avoid covering any of that great wall .... ken Here is a link that might be useful: link

An aboriculturalist who came to look at my sick conifers (spartan junipers) told me that conifers are twice as sensitive to things as regular trees e.g. only fertilize or treat at 1/2 strength. Additionally, they get most of their water from their surface roots so they like frequent, but not necessarily deep watering. Generally, however he said that conifers are very hardy plants and don't get many diseases etc. If you are considering a treatment e.g. fungicide or insecticide then remember to only apply at 1/2 strength. Good luck..