clown with black spots

[eduardo cavalcanti]

i habe an ocellaris clown for about a year. last week i noticed that he´s with some black spots in his body. is this a disease? what can i do for him?

[MKramer]

Most like it's a parasite, very similar to the Ich parasite that causes white spots.

 

The best cure is a happy, healthy fish. They get Ich because they are stressed. Under good conditions, their bodies naturally fight it off. So curing your clown is a two-part process:

 

1) Make him happier.

Remove the source of stress. Can you think of anything that may have upset your fish recently? A new critter in the tank, swing in water temps, low water quality, a change in diet, anything? It is possible that his infection started without a significant cause, but it's not likely, considering he was ich-free for a year.

 

2) Make him healthier.

Feed him flake food at least once a day, but let it soak in garlic extract for a few minutes before feeding. Garlic is a natural immune system booster, and is available at your fish store, or for a few dollars less, from a local pharmacy. The frequent feeding will also make the fish a little happier, as worrying about when the next meal will come IS a stressor. You might also want to use a drop of selcon or another highly-unsaturated fatty acid supplement in with the garlic, as HUFAs are essential for a healthy fish.

 

Once the spots are gone, you may cut back on the feeding schedule, back to your regular schedule, so that you don't polute the tank. However, I'd continue adding the garlic and selcon for 30 days. If you can prevent an Ich infection for 30 days, you have a good chance of killing off the parasite in the tank, as feeding on a fish is a vital part of the parasite's 30-day life cycle.

[eduardo cavalcanti]

thanks for the tips