A couple of my Malawi Cichlids have stubbor black spots, so I'm sure they all have it. I assume they are multi-cellular parasites. The seem healthy and active otherwise. I'm installing a uv sterilizer to kill any free-floating parasites & pathogesn, and I'm planning on giving them a formalin dip. Does anyone have any success stories or suggestions?
Black Spots
- Thread starter wartooth
- Start date
Not necessarily a disease. What do you feed your fish?
Does it sound like this?
Uvulifer ambloplitis (Black spot disease)
1. Digenetic fluke; metacercaria infect fish.
2. Herons and kingfishers are the definitive host, snails are the first intermediate host. Fish are the second intermediate host.
3. Clinically the fish have numerous black to brown spots up to 1 mm (dia) over the skin, gills and eyes. The spots contain a metacercaria surrounded by heavily pigmented fibrous connective tissue.
Does it sound like this?
Uvulifer ambloplitis (Black spot disease)
1. Digenetic fluke; metacercaria infect fish.
2. Herons and kingfishers are the definitive host, snails are the first intermediate host. Fish are the second intermediate host.
3. Clinically the fish have numerous black to brown spots up to 1 mm (dia) over the skin, gills and eyes. The spots contain a metacercaria surrounded by heavily pigmented fibrous connective tissue.
I feed them mostly vege-flakes. Once in a while, I feed them small spirulina pellets, soaking them first.
I do have a snail infestation of unknown origin. Probably, a plant I once had in the tank.
The spots look more like dirt. And they spread slowly. It took a couple of months before I noticed there were more spots. Looks more like fine black powder on their skin.
I do have a snail infestation of unknown origin. Probably, a plant I once had in the tank.
The spots look more like dirt. And they spread slowly. It took a couple of months before I noticed there were more spots. Looks more like fine black powder on their skin.
Could also be a fungus. I had something that sounds similar, tiny black specks, the size of a coffee ground, maybe smaller ? While it would be on the body of the fish it did seem to mostly go to the fins (dorsal and tail ) . Most times it would be just a single speck of it and other times it would appear overnight and look like the fish was sprayed with black paint specks on one side etc.. Fish seem otherwise healthy and no ill effects noticed. No damaged fins or scales or any other issues. I tried to get rid of it several times , treating with melafix worked best. Noticed that during the melafix treatment it would improve drasticly but not eradicate it, i dont like to medicate unless really nessasary so i did not extend treatment or increase the dosage . I also would not treat everytime it would reappear. I noticed it started on one fish, cleared up on that fish and appeared on another, kept repeating that. I tried parasite meds first before the melafix and it had no effect at all, like i said the melafix helped alot, i think the fish's immune system and waterchanges kept it in check and would only use the melafix when i noticed it was particularly bad or heavy on one fish. Eventually it went away after several months and i have not seen it again for many months.
Hope this was helpful.
CG
Hope this was helpful.
CG
black spot.... *****, ive noticed two of my larger tropheus with the ^^^ same descriptions. one black spot on each side and some on the fins! damn, this can spread huh!
If its the same as what i had in my tank then yes it can spread. But i have to emphasize that the tiny black specks i had on my fish did not seem to harm them in anyway, it was mostly that i did not like looking at it. It never made any secondary infecttions, it never made fin rot or open sores. My fish never seemed to have any labored breathing or excessive flashing either. It did not seem to damage the slime coat either. It did not cover the gills that i could see and was strictly on the outside of the fish. If your fish has any of those things i would assume it is not what my fish had and treat for parasites or skin conditions etc.. What i ended up doing was maintain good water conditions with extra water changes and periodic light treatments with melafix (tee tree oil has anti fungal properties, i know cause it cures ringworm on my horses and dogs). I would use the melafix on average one weak treatment (slightly less than recommended dosage) once a month or when i noticed it trying to come back. Over time it just seemed to get less and less and then just disappeared on its own .
I am 99.9 sure mine was a type of fungus, but i also was reading that there is a parasite that looks similar. The reason i belive my case was fungal is that i treated for parasite first and it had no effect then when i used melafix it improved during treatment, each time coming back less and taking longer to reestablish.
I am 99.9 sure mine was a type of fungus, but i also was reading that there is a parasite that looks similar. The reason i belive my case was fungal is that i treated for parasite first and it had no effect then when i used melafix it improved during treatment, each time coming back less and taking longer to reestablish.
Yes. This seems to the be same thing I have. Like fine black powder. I have some melafix. I've used it in a 10g and remember it smelling like Raid. I've never used it in my 100g. I'll give it a try. Thanks for your help.cichlidgirl;1715801; said:
wartooth;1716759; said:
Melafix smells like tee tree oil, a natural aniceptic that comes from the tree with the same name , i believe from Australia. I have never had a problem with it, i did read where someone over dosed with it so i usually go slightly less than recommended dose (I guess that is possiably the reason it improved so much but took so long to eradicate it LOL I just dont like using meds and am always afraid of over medicating.) I also figured since the fish did not seem to be suffering from it or damaged that it was not as urgent and there for not a problem if i had to treat lightly once a month two or 3 times compared to heavier full dose once. It also said on the bottle that melafix and pimafix can be used together at the same time (different tree oils are not supposed to interact or over medicate when used together) Pimafix is their anti fungal treatment, melafix is the anti bacterial treatment. I just also use melafix for minor fungal infections as well because of my prior experience using it around the farm as a anti fungal. It (tee tree oil) is even used for humans for things such as atheletes foot fungas and toe nail fungus even ring worm, works good (I had itchy toes once LOL)