Unsure if Clown has disease / infection ?

[sweevo]

Hi,

 

I've had a juvenile Perucla (tank bred) for just over three weeks now. About 5 days ago I noticed a few small circular blemishes (approx 0.5mm diam) around and on the middle band of the fish. They are not symmetrical and It has them on both of it's sides. These were definitely not there previously.

 

The best way I can of describing them is that under lighting, they look like a shadow is being cast on the fishes skin. They don't look like open sores or furry etc. In fact I'd say they look kind of transparent. On the ones on the white bands for instance, it's as though the white band has been painted on and the blemishes are revealing the true colour underneath.

 

The fishes behaviour has changed slightly in that it spends more time away from it's host (toastool coral) than it did originally, occasionally darts at a tangent when swimming and "appears" to be swimming in the current more than before. Having only had the fish 3 weeks i'm not sure how much of this is from my own paranoia though. Despite all of this it still does have a VERY healthy appettite.

 

Apart from these blemishes, which have not increased in number since I first noticed them, I can't see anything else on the fishes skin to indicate any kind of infection or disease.

 

I've read Joyce Wilkerson's book on Clowns and the only disease I can see which sounds likely is oodinium. However the book seems to imply that if this was the case the fish would've died well before now.

 

I have all the necessary equipment ready for a hospital tank. I just wondered what reefers on here make of this. I've tried taking photo's but the guy is just too small and fast to get one worth showing.

 

Thanks in advance.

[sweevo]

Looks like my clown has got Melanism due to hosting my toadstool coral. Someone over at Reef Central diagnosed it for me but after a lot of looking I found this thread in these forums which shows what this looks like.

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/showthread...hlight=melanism

 

Just thought i'd post this in case others come looking for the same thing in this particular forum in the future.