Black ich?

[Anonymous]

Recently I've noticed several irregular black spots on my clownfish. It does not appear to be a parasite, it looks more like the skin (scales) changing color. Any ideas on what it could be? Is this what black ich looks like?

 

[kparton]

Yikes, my clowns have some dark discoloration as well, but I didn't know there was such a thing as black ich. I think they looked like this when I got them and they seems to be very healthy. I guess I'll have to look into this. They're the only fish I have and I did quarantine, so hopefully they don't have anything bad.

 

[Anonymous]

If it is black ich it's easily eradicated by making good use of freshwater dipping techniques upon arrival, before introduction into q/t. Also, hyposalinity easily nails this stuff. It is nowhere nearly as virulent as C. irritans or Amyloodinium, that is for sure.

 

[Expos Forever]

Is your clown hosting in anything new? (new zoos or anemone?) It may be getting stung... Can you post a pic? IME black ich looks like black dots with just a tiny bit extruding. While a freshwater dip will definetly work for black ich I would try to make sure that's what it has before un-necessary treatment.

BTW buying tank-raised clowns removes any possibility of introducing parasites into your tank.

 

[Anonymous]

The more I look at my fish the more I am certain that it is not a parasite. The fish is actually turning black on some areas of its body. Has anyone ever seen this before?

 

[Anonymous]

There was a thread a while back started by DustinDorton about clownfish developing black spots while hosting in zoanthids. Is this a possibility?

 

[Expos Forever]

Is your clown hosting in anything new? (new zoos or anemone?)

There was a thread a while back started by DustinDorton about clownfish developing black spots while hosting in zoanthids. Is this a possibility?

 

[kparton]

After a lot of reading and research, I really don't believe that what my fish have is black ich. I believe it's just a discoloration of the skin that was probably there when I got them. It doesn't at all look like specks on the skin and it definitely isn't raised off the skin.

Thanks

 

[Reef Guy11]

My yellow tang get it every once in a while. It get 2 or 3 specs, and then it goes away. There is no way to catch him to get him out for a FW dip. Plus he is actually very active healthy, and eats like a pig. So I don't worry about it.