Clowns turning reddish

[njreejer]

Picked up this pair of clowns two days ago. They’re both turning reddish. I thought I saw a red tint on them before but I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me but this morning it was more noticeable so I thought I’d ask here what to do regarding this

 

[LxHowler]

Hard to tell from the pictures, your tank looks pretty new, how are the perameters. Where abouts are they turning red? Is it around the gills. Sorry if I'm being blind

 

[Thespammailaccount]

How new is the tank?

 

[hyeclass]

When I bought my Clownfish it was orange two months later it’s turn to black

 

[Reeferdude1888]

Do you mean the very slight tint of red on the white band across the head and body it looks natural colour and they look healthy enough.

 

[njreejer]

Yeah, I’m referring to the tint of red on the white bands. Tank is 90 gallons & a bit over 3 weeks old. Was cycled with 3 bottles of biospora nitrifying bacteria
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 20
PH: 7.8

 

[Zionas]

PH is a bit low. Might wanna bring it up to 8.0 or higher, preferably 8.20-8.30.

Do you have any other fish in the tank? The nitrates seem a bit high if the Clowns are your only fish.

 

[njreejer]

PH is a bit low. Might wanna bring it up to 8.0 or higher, preferably 8.20-8.30.

Do you have any other fish in the tank? The nitrates seem a bit high if the Clowns are your only fish.

Gotcha, that’s what I planned on doing & the clowns are the only tank inhabitants at the moment

 

[Thespammailaccount]

I noticed the same thing on my two clowns when they were added to my first tank the 10 gallon. I upgraded and used well established rock and switched to distilled water and it is now gone. Not sure if there is a relation

 

[njreejer]

Do you mean the very slight tint of red on the white band across the head and body it looks natural colour and they look healthy enough.

yup I saw online redness could mean bacterial infection or internal parasites which had me worried. This was a relief to hear tho, I’m hoping it is natural color as they are eating well & don’t seem to act abnormal

 

[njreejer]

I noticed the same thing on my two clowns when they were added to my first tank the 10 gallon. I upgraded and used well established rock and switched to distilled water and it is now gone. Not sure if there is a relation

I use 0 TDS RODI but started with dry rock. I plan on seeding some live rock soon

 

[Fishbird]

Gotcha, that’s what I planned on doing & the clowns are the only tank inhabitants at the moment

Before you start chasing pH please read up on all the problems this can cause. What time of day was it when you got the 7.8 reading? pH is going to change throughout the day. 7.8 is within range. Everything I’ve read from more experienced reefers suggests that dosing to raise pH almost always causes problems, sometimes severe ones.

 

[njreejer]

Before you start chasing pH please read up on all the problems this can cause. What time of day was it when you got the 7.8 reading? pH is going to change throughout the day. 7.8 is within range. Everything I’ve read from more experienced reefers suggests that dosing to raise pH almost always causes problems, sometimes severe ones.

Good to know, thanks for informing me & I tested at 7am in the morning

 

[AbjectMaelstroM]

Good to know, thanks for informing me & I tested at 7am in the morning

Hard to tell from the pics, unfortunately.

PH will swing throughout the day so I wouldn't jump the gun on that just yet. Mine is usually around 8.15(8.2) in the morning and tops out around 8.4 during the day.

I think your PH is fine (keep an eye on it make sure it doesn't drop... Which it shouldn't unless you start dosing something). Keep an eye on the red areas, do they follow a contour or is it like blotches (blood blisters/bruises)? The latter, could be a bacterial infection which would require antibiotics (Furan 2, Kanaplex, etc) should be fairly easy to get, ideally you'd want something like NFG powder or Spectragram broad-spectrum abx. Methalyne Blue is a good choice for first aid as well. For now, keep an eye on them for changes in color, increased respiratory rate, activity level.

 

[Fishbird]

Here's a video from Bulk Reef Supply that talks about pH. But as the poster above me said, pH will be lower in the morning and rise throughout the day. 7.8 isn't too low and hobby grade test kits are going to have a certain margin of error anyway (you can't know that your pH is exactly 7.8 because hobby grade test kits aren't designed to be that precise and accurate).

 

[njreejer]

Hard to tell from the pics, unfortunately.

PH will swing throughout the day so I wouldn't jump the gun on that just yet. Mine is usually around 8.15(8.2) in the morning and tops out around 8.4 during the day.

I think your PH is fine (keep an eye on it make sure it doesn't drop... Which it shouldn't unless you start dosing something). Keep an eye on the red areas, do they follow a contour or is it like blotches (blood blisters/bruises)? The latter, could be a bacterial infection which would require antibiotics (Furan 2, Kanaplex, etc) should be fairly easy to get, ideally you'd want something like NFG powder or Spectragram broad-spectrum abx. Methalyne Blue is a good choice for first aid as well. For now, keep an eye on them for changes in color, increased respiratory rate, activity level.

From the looks of it, the red areas follow a contour, they don’t look like random blotches. I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for any signs of progression or abnormal behavior & treat accordingly

 

[DeniseAndy]

I would say coloration from how you describe the contour vs blotches. Very pretty guys. Hope all stays well.

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

Don't bother raising pH. It's relatively difficult to only manipulate pH in a reef tank, and a pH of 7.8 is just fine. Because of the alkalinity ranges we typically keep in our tanks, it's unusual for the pH of a tank to get so low that it's dangerous. Especially if you're not doing anything that lowers pH, such as dosing vinegar or using a calcium reactor.