Clownfish with bite on tail and white spot

[wyatt2847]

I have a tank that has just 2 ocellaris clown fish and the smaller one has a bite in his tail with a white spot under the bite. Could it be fin rot or ick?

 

[Jekyl]

Pics

 

[wyatt2847]

This is all i have rn

 

[wyatt2847]

This might be a little bit better

 

[wyatt2847]

I work with a guy who used to maintenance aquariums for a local fish store and he told me that I shouldn’t be worried just to watch out and see if it gets worse

 

[Reef.]

If it’s the smaller one, could be a bite from the female.

 

[wyatt2847]

It is ik the bite is from the bigger one but the white spot is what im worried about and it that normal for the female to do that stuff

 

[Reef.]

It is ik the bite is from the bigger one but the white spot is what im worried about and it that normal for the female to do that stuff

Very normal for the female to show dominance over the male, they don’t normally go as far as biting bits off but some of them can get carried away and even kill...the white mark could just b a bite.

If you don’t feed a lot, feeding more may reduce the shows of dominance.

 

[wyatt2847]

Ok thank you ill try and feed a little more and see of that helps but ill make sure i dont go too crazy with the food

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I have a tank that has just 2 ocellaris clown fish and the smaller one has a bite in his tail with a white spot under the bite. Could it be fin rot or ick?

Tough to see clearly. It could be a bite mark from the other clown. Don't underestimate their ability to be really sneaky and fight when you aren't watching.

More likely though, this is Lymphocystis, a viral disease. It could also be a bite on the fin AND Lympho, that is pretty common. Lympho has no treatment, but it tends to go away on its own in 4 to 6 weeks.

jay

 

[wyatt2847]

When i get home later ill try and get better pics but i stopped at a lfs and he said it sounded like that too. Is that disease able to spread to other fish ?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

When i get home later ill try and get better pics but i stopped at a lfs and he said it sounded like that too. Is that disease able to spread to other fish ?

Lymphocytis can spread, but fish rarely die from it, unless the lesions develop on the mouth and keep them from eating.
Jay

 

[wyatt2847]

This is rn

 

[wyatt2847]

I cant tell if its worse or not

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

The large raised spot in the first pictures is gone, so that was either an artifact of the photo, or it fell off. I see some general fin erosion now. The two options really are to leave it be and see if the fish recovers (they often do, unless the other fish is causing the damage and keeps at it) or to move the fish to a treatment tank and dose with a broad spectrum, gram negative antibiotic.

Jay

 

[wyatt2847]

Its hard to get a good picture of them they are very active which is a good sign so i think im just gonna watch it closely and it continues to get worse ill try and medicate him thanks for everyones help