something black on clownfish

[treesprite]

I tried, but can't get a good enough pic to make it worth posting one.

 

What kinds of things would appear as black spots on clowns besides those black discoloration spots clown fish get from hosting the wrong things, but are about the same size as discoloration spots would be? It's not "black ich" or anything in that realm. I am wondering if it is some kind of parasite.

 

It wasn't on either clown at first. When I still had just one, the fish had been in the refugium and I didn't notice the black stuff. I put the fish in the DT and noticed the black spots after that. I thought they were just the discoloration things at that point. I got a second misbar and put it in the DT. Now both fish have these black things. The only coral I have seen them touching is the orange monti they seem to really like

 

 

OMG! Sorry - they are showing a TWO HEADED turtle on the news right now!!!

 

That aside.... wow, that was freaky... anyway....

 

Does anyone have good pictures of black things on orange clown fish that maybe are some kind of lice or fluke or crustacean or something? Along with ideas for how to treat if I figure out what it is?

 

Edit: should add.... the only other fish is a yellow tang and it has no spots of any kind on it. I have never seen anything like this in my tank, unless it actually IS just a bunch of discoloration spots.

Edited March 10, 2011 by treesprite

[treesprite]

Well, see if these help any... probably not, but...

 

 

Edited March 10, 2011 by treesprite

[Vadim]

Hyper-Melaninization got stung by something, not necessarily a serious issue. should go away.

[treesprite]

Hyper-Melaninization got stung by something, not necessarily a serious issue. should go away.

This is from first post:

What kinds of things would appear as black spots on clowns besides those black discoloration spots clown fish get from hosting the wrong things, but are about the same size as discoloration spots would be?

[Coral Hind]

I have read that they are also brought on as a nervous expression resulting from environmental stress, growth hormone changes as when changing sex, and nutritional deficiencies.

[Jon Lazar]

This is from first post:

 

I googled "clownfish black spot" and found a lot of hits on Paravortex turbellarian flatworms.

[Coral Hind]

I googled "clownfish black spot" and found a lot of hits on Paravortex turbellarian flatworms.

I always thought this was a Tang related issue and that clowns were pretty resistant to it.

 

I also think the spots of hyperpigmentation or melanism are larger and look more like a pigment issue where "black ich" is spots are much smaller and look to be on the fish and not part of the fish's color.

[treesprite]

I found info on turbellarians also, but for the life of me can't find a photo of them on a clown fish. I saw pictures of them on a yellow tang. Compared to ich they are too big to compare it to that IMO.

 

I am wondering how I would suddenly have such things in my tank if they are indeed turbellarians. The clown it started with (both for that matter, but I got this one several weeks before the other) was tank bred/raised and was in a tank with just more of its own kind, there was nothing on other fish/in other tanks in the store. I had the fish in my refugium for a few weeks and it had nothing on it. I have not put any foreign rock or corals in the tank on which parasites would have ridden in.

 

Are montis capable of stinging or irritating fish?

[Jon Lazar]

Are montis capable of stinging or irritating fish?

 

No. I'd look into alien abduction and..."examinations" of your clownfish before I'd worry about a monipora stinging her.

 

Seriously, the most likely scenario is your clownfish is changing colors, as clownfish often do as they mature.

 

If there are no other indications of a problem, like scratching or rapid breathing, I would simply watch your fish and keep feeding them high quality frozen food. Check the dots in a week or so. If it's a parasite after all, the spots are likely to move as the parasites matures and drop off. Then you can do a formalin dip.

 

Otherwise I wouldn't do anything except observe the fish.

[treesprite]

It's really scaring me though, because I've been having such terrible luck with fish since I moved (which is why all I have in the 75 are the misbars and a yellow tang).

 

Is it possible that something was living in my refugium that was not living in my tank? I would really hate for my tang to end up with something, because tangs are a real PITA to treat for anything.

 

Do things like turbellarians go away if a tank is left fish-less for a while?

Edited March 11, 2011 by treesprite

[treesprite]

Seems like most of what I just read is suggesting a freshwater bath for turbellarians, possibly formalin. Given that these are clowns, I would think a freshwater bath would be less stressful on them than something like a tang. I'm really tempted to go ahead with it.

[TonyD]

I had black spots on my clowns just like your picture and it went away on its own. For now, pass it off to all your non fish friends that you have the rare LE "leopard" spot clowns.

[gmubeach]

I don't think its a parisite, my clowns got the same or simlar thing "not as dark" from nesting in a hammer coral I was so freaked out.

[Jon Lazar]

Given that these are clowns, I would think a freshwater bath would be less stressful on them than something like a tang. I'm really tempted to go ahead with it.

 

Again: if there are no other clear symptoms, watch and wait.

[Coral Hind]

Again: if there are no other clear symptoms, watch and wait.

I totally agree, the stress of the dipping could cause other issues. I think it is just melanism that will go away. Mine actually got some other spots a few weeks ago too when they started rubbing in my zoas. They have since moved back to their BTA and the spots are gone.

 

If you want a BTA for your clowns so they will leave the monti alone let me know.

[treesprite]

I've had clowns in the past get the darkened spots from corals so I know pretty much what they look like.... which is why I keep thinking this is possibly something else. Last night I got a pair of 2x mag. reading glasses and looked with those - it's still hard to tell, but it seems all of them are of the same degree of elongation, rather than each spot being a different size and shape.

 

I really would like to see what would happen if the clown fish would let the cleaner shrimp come to them, but they don't. Given that the tang's sole goal in life is to be able to get a nice cleaning every day, and the shrimp's goal is to give it, maybe no bugs will have a chance to stick to him (if these spots are indeed bugs).

[treesprite]

[Jon Lazar]

 

Doesn't look at all like bugs.

[FearTheTerps]

Looks like freckles to me, maybe your clownfish is a redhead.

[treesprite]

I keep staring at the clown fishes at these things, straining my eyes to see if they are raised or not. I think they are raised, meaning a bug not coloration. I think I will wait a couple more days and if they still look that way, will dip the fishes.

[F&Fmgr]

those spots dont look like turbellarians, the spots are usually raised bumps. you are correct in saying that it doesn't usually affect clowns. I would say it might be getting stung. if not, then make sure he still eats and observe for a while. FWIW IME those markings are pretty common with clowns that are hosting in euphyllia or cataphyllia corals.

 

Hope that helps

 

Sean

[treesprite]

I've had clowns with them before, which I believe was from frogspawn (don't have frogspawn anymore - too aggressive), so I have some idea of what those spots look like. I've been looking at the spots on these clowns with 2x magnifying reading glasses on, yesterday was trying to see the clowns from sideways to see the smoothness of skin. Many of the spots look slightly elongated o me, and when I was looking last night it really seemed to me that they were slightly raised, though I will admit it is hard to tell without being able to hold the fish up to my face.

 

What I need is for someone with really good eyesight who is fairly knowledgeable, to have a look at the fish.

 

An anemone question: can anemones help to keep parasites like turbelarrians,fish lice, and crustacean-types from clinging to clownfish?