Black dots on clown fish

[Tonz of fun]

So my clown fish had some black dots on him about a month ago, I did some research and found out that they get these sometimes because they host various corals and not there anemone. So today I was checking her out and she has about 3 times as many black dots, is this still the same issue? It loves to chill in the toadstool leathers tentacles. Need some help I couldn't snag a photo of the guy.

 

[lcstorc]

Read through this thread. If it is spots it is likely not from the coral. That usually causes blotches.
The difference is explained by Leebeca about halfway down the page.
http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/fish-diseases-treatments/34372-black-spots-clown.html

 

[Tonz of fun]

That is the thread I was originally reading, So my question is theis. I have had fish with ich before. Is black ich look like regular ich but instead of white it is black? The spots on my fish are bigger and in two groups. It does not appear to look like anything is growing "on" the skin. It appears like the skin is just discolored.

 

[Tonz of fun]

i guess my fish will just die...

 

[leebca]

The parasites that cause Black Ich and Marine Ich are very different. The 'black' coloration is blood hemorrhaging from the entry site of the parasite. You can't see the Black Ich parasite with the unaided human eye.

The 'black' is not raised up from the skin like the white spot of Marine Ich. The black spot of Black Ich is small, like a pin prick or the head of a pin.

When an Anemonefish is stung or irritated by another marine life form, the black is fuzzy, ill-defined. That is true Hyper-Melaninization. Such black spots are not tiny but larger and tend to be 'smears' or look like smudges, or smallish (but not tiny) smudges. This is not usually fatal, but the fish is being harmed.

If the fish doesn't improve on its own in a week or two, move the fish away from the offending life form (put it into a new home/new tank) or move the life form away from the fish (take it out of the tank).

If it is Black Ich, treat the fish in a hospital tank. If you want help in deciding the diagnosis, post a few good, close-up photos of what it is you are seeing.

 

[Tonz of fun]

So could getting a anemone help this issue? He goes to the coral because he is trying to host it...

 

[leebca]

It could, IF you know for a fact it is the coral. But in the bigger picture of things, keeping a coral alive may be more demanding on the type of lighting and nutrients you put into the system. Just any anemone won't do, of course. What I am trying to say is be sure you can and are willing to keep an anemone alive.

 

[jski711]

i have a clown with black spots as well. it happened as soon as they started hosting my zoanthids. im pretty sure its from getting stung, at least in my case.

Jake

 

[BigAl07]

Same here. It was from hosting in a "Frog-Spawn". It never seemed to "affect" the clown at all but the clown eventually "loved the frog-spawn" to death. They weren't symetric circles but really just dark "blots". Over the course of a couple of months they got more and more until the clown just became really dark all over. Once the FS died the clown never has gotten it's original brightness back. It's a tomato clown so they do get darker with age anyway.

 

[Frankie]

Awesome info as always Leebca!

 

[Tonz of fun]

My tank is very well established, i know a bubble tip will do fine but its not the natural anemone. I would do a carpet but they dont ship well, if it made it through shipping im sure it should be fine as well.