Some help please - pic added

[Noj]

Anyone who can help or give suggestions I'd appreciate it.

My two clowns have formed some sort of dark coloured spots on them. The spots dont seem to be in any order or specific size or shape. It resembles ink dots. To my knowledge, the fish are rubbing themselves on the bottom/corner of the tank once an hour or so. Scratching whatever is on them. I assumed it was ich, but all my research says ich is small white spots. These spots are dark in colour and bigger then a grain of sand.

All my levels are correct. I've had the fish for 1 year now. They are the only two fish in the tank. I have recently (10days-4 weeks ago) added some frags and live rock from OA in Vancouver. I add a calcium additive now as well.

I am trying to get a picture of it, but its proving to be fairly difficult to get a picture that shows.

Someone? Anyone?

Thanks alot,

-Cam

[i have crabs]

mabey black ich?
http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/compldiagnodisease/a/aa041701.htm
i dont know anything about it though.

[Montana]

i agree it sounds like black ich, I just went through this with my yellow tang, all i did was fresh water dips once a day for no more then 3 min for 3 days and the ich went away, if you notice the fish being stressed out. like trying to jump out of the plastic container stop, also some people recomend formalin dips but i dont know anything about using that method.

[Noj]

thanks alot

how do I diagnose this for 100% certainty?

is there something I can read on these freshwater dips so I do everything properly?

thanks again

[Montana]

www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-10/sp/index.php
good article
if you can post apic of the spots that would help,

[Noj]

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/medium/spots.JPG

you can sort of see the spots on the back half of the the fish.

Hopefully this helps a bit...I'm still trying to get a better shot.

[adidas]

oh man It looks like my Saddleback clown has got black ich too!! :( and my tangs are scratching. :(

[OCDP]

That does not look like black ick to me. It looks like your clowns have been rubbing up in something (a coral) and it's giving them the spots. My clowns have this as well, the rub up on LPS corals like Frogspawns...

Do yours do this?

[mr_alberta]

I agree with Scott. My clowns as well got this after hosting in some Xenia. I believe its a skin irritation. It went away after I removed my Xenia and has not come back since.

[McNasty]

DOes not look like black ich to me, I had a tang who i thought had black ich, turned out was normal ich but from rubbing and being alittle bleached looking appeared to have black spots, but when i turned the lights on fully the spots disappered.

[adidas]

i looked closely at my clown ans he had the little specs everywhere, looked like black ich. But he is acting fine..

[Noj]

Thanks for the input.

I have not seen them rub up against any of the corals (although they very well could be). The only time I have seen them rub is when they get into the front corner of the tank and do a bit of rub on their sides. They seemed to do that for a week or so. But I haven't seen them do it yet today.

The only coral they are ever really near is the frogspawn. Do they need to actually get right in there and rub up against the coral? Or does just passing over and grazing every once in a while cause irritation?


i looked closely at my clown ans he had the little specs everywhere, looked like black ich. But he is acting fine..
are the black dots smaller then my dots? or do they look very similar?


Thanks

-Cam

[JasonJ]

my clowns also has black spots. but its from rubbing against corals.
if the black dots arent raised..then its definately just skin irritation. they usually come and go.

[Noj]

my clowns also has black spots. but its from rubbing against corals.
if the black dots arent raised..then its definately just skin irritation. they usually come and go.

When you say come and go, how long do they usually last for? Just so I can keep a close eye on them and be sure of their health.

Thanks for the reassurance!

-Cam