Brown spots on lion fish

[Rowan Savage]

Hi,

I got back from holiday yesterday and noticed brown spots dotted over the body and fins of my lion fish, and also spread throughout the tank. They appear to be some kind of fluke or flatworm as the are wiggling around. From a quick google search I think it could be black ich , but would like a second opinion from a more seasoned reefer. Also the brown spots fall of occasionally.

Thanks.

The spots can be seen around the mouth and at the base of the fin.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hi,

I got back from holiday yesterday and noticed brown spots dotted over the body and fins of my lion fish, and also spread throughout the tank. They appear to be some kind of fluke or flatworm as the are wiggling around. From a quick google search I think it could be black ich , but would like a second opinion from a more seasoned reefer. Also the brown spots fall of occasionally.

Thanks.

The spots can be seen around the mouth and at the base of the fin.

These are very good pics but not sure what spots you are referring to as lions have many pigments

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Hi,

I got back from holiday yesterday and noticed brown spots dotted over the body and fins of my lion fish, and also spread throughout the tank. They appear to be some kind of fluke or flatworm as the are wiggling around. From a quick google search I think it could be black ich , but would like a second opinion from a more seasoned reefer. Also the brown spots fall of occasionally.

Thanks.

The spots can be seen around the mouth and at the base of the fin.

Without a microscope, it won’t be possible for a definitive ID, but if you are seeing them both on and off the fish, they aren’t flukes or turbellarians that cause black ich, as those are obligate parasites as adults and won’t be found off the fish.

My guess is that these are some type of free living flatworm that is just happening to crawl on the sedentary lionfish.

 

[Rowan Savage]

These are very good pics but not sure what spots you are referring to as lions have many pigments

Yeah it's a little hard to see, near the gills below the mouth in the second photo and at the base of the fin in the first photo.

 

[Rowan Savage]

Without a microscope, it won’t be possible for a definitive ID, but if you are seeing them both on and off the fish, they aren’t flukes or turbellarians that cause black ich, as those are obligate parasites as adults and won’t be found off the fish.

My guess is that these are some type of free living flatworm that is just happening to crawl on the sedentary lionfish.

If this is the case are they a treat to the health of my fish?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

If this is the case are they a treat to the health of my fish?

Not if they are non-parasitic. Are you seeing any other symptoms?

 

[Rowan Savage]

Not if they are non-parasitic. Are you seeing any other symptoms?

He seems to be acting normal. There must be thousands of the flatworms around the tank so it makes sense that a few would their way onto the fish, especially if he is perched a lot. could over feeding have caused their population to skyrocket?

also thanks for your input it was very helpful.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

He seems to be acting normal. There must be thousands of the flatworms around the tank so it makes sense that a few would their way onto the fish, especially if he is perched a lot. could over feeding have caused their population to skyrocket?

also thanks for your input it was very helpful.

I’m not sure what causes flatworms to bloom, I imagine different species have different food sources.

I have used a small siphon to pull them out of tanks.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Yeah it's a little hard to see, near the gills below the mouth in the second photo and at the base of the fin in the first photo.

Looking closer may be flatworms and a little bit of work to rid of them. Often they come in on coral and will produce eggs and multiply. Removal can be accomplished by siphoning them with a 3/8" tubing into a nylon stocking and discard
OR
Add a wrasse such as malanurus which will eat them

With the number you may have, for the next 2 weeks you will have to look for eggs and scrape off as there is likely some and would be future flatworms. Eggs are really tiny

 

[Rowan Savage]

Looking closer may be flatworms and a little bit of work to rid of them. Often they come in on coral and will produce eggs and multiply. Removal can be accomplished by siphoning them with a 3/8" tubing into a nylon stocking and discard
OR
Add a wrasse such as malanurus which will eat them

With the number you may have, for the next 2 weeks you will have to look for eggs and scrape off as there is likely some and would be future flatworms. Eggs are really tiny

Thanks for the advice, I'll give the siphoning a try.