Convict Tang with unusual marking

[threebuoys]

#fishmedic

Anyone have an idea what the black line on my convict's belly might be? It's on both sides. I've had the convict for over two years. Have not added any new fish to the tank in about a year. All went through the QT protocol.

I haven't paid close attention to the convict recently, and only noticed the markings within the last few days. Behavior and eating habits have seen no changes. Hoping it's just skin pigmentation, but I've not seen anything like this before. The black spot adjacent to the next to last vertical bar is definitely skin pigmentation. Been there since I got the convict.

 

[fishguy242]

Looks healthy ,thinking nice markings...
But I'm no expert... @Jay Hemdal ?

 

[MnFish1]

#fishmedic

Anyone have an idea what the black line on my convict's belly might be? It's on both sides. I've had the convict for over two years. Have not added any new fish to the tank in about a year. All went through the QT protocol.

I haven't paid close attention to the convict recently, and only noticed the markings within the last few days. Behavior and eating habits have seen no changes. Hoping it's just skin pigmentation, but I've not seen anything like this before. The black spot adjacent to the next to last vertical bar is definitely skin pigmentation. Been there since I got the convict.

To me the fish looks a little thin. How big is it? Juveniles can have spots like this. How long did it take to occur/appear? EdiT - especially if the spot is exactly the same on both sides.

 

[threebuoys]

To me, the fish looks a little thin. How big is it? Juveniles can have spots like this. How long did it take to occur/appear?

Weight wise, the fish is healthy. The black lines horizontal on each side of the abdomen appeared within the past 3 months. Honestly, I just noticed them over the past week. The tank has been very stable for some time, and I haven't looked closely at the individual fish in several weeks.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

#fishmedic

Anyone have an idea what the black line on my convict's belly might be? It's on both sides. I've had the convict for over two years. Have not added any new fish to the tank in about a year. All went through the QT protocol.

I haven't paid close attention to the convict recently, and only noticed the markings within the last few days. Behavior and eating habits have seen no changes. Hoping it's just skin pigmentation, but I've not seen anything like this before. The black spot adjacent to the next to last vertical bar is definitely skin pigmentation. Been there since I got the convict.

The two black spots on the caudal peduncle and at the insertion of the pectoral fin can be normal for this species. Have they been there the whole time? The spot on the fourth stripe and then on the belly/mouth are not typical. Melanin skin deposits can happen from contact with stinging LPS corals, any chance of that?

Jay

 

[MnFish1]

The two black spots on the caudal peduncle and at the insertion of the pectoral fin can be normal for this species. Have they been there the whole time? The spot on the fourth stripe and then on the belly/mouth are not typical. Melanin skin deposits can happen from contact with stinging LPS corals, any chance of that?

Jay

Curious - from my understanding - the spot is identical on the other side of the fish (Or perhaps I misunderstood)?

 

[threebuoys]

The two black spots on the caudal peduncle and at the insertion of the pectoral fin can be normal for this species. Have they been there the whole time? The spot on the fourth stripe and then on the belly/mouth are not typical. Melanin skin deposits can happen from contact with stinging LPS corals, any chance of that?

Jay

Curious - from my understanding - the spot is identical on the other side of the fish (Or perhaps I misunderstood)?

The spot on the fourth stripe has been present since I got the tang 2 years +/- ago. It is only on one side. The horizontal line of spots on the belly leading up to the mouth has only appeared recently (last 2-3 months at most) and appears on both sides of the fish. Nothing unusual about the fish behavior.

 

[threebuoys]

The two black spots on the caudal peduncle and at the insertion of the pectoral fin can be normal for this species. Have they been there the whole time? The spot on the fourth stripe and then on the belly/mouth are not typical. Melanin skin deposits can happen from contact with stinging LPS corals, any chance of that?

Jay

The tang may have been stung by a coral. I had discounted that because the belly marks were on both sides rather than just one side. But certainly could have been stung on both sides.

 

[threebuoys]

The convict tang belliy markings have completely cleared over the past several days. So, I'm guessing the diagnosis of coral stings was the likely cause.