Black Around Mouth

[GatorJ]

2 of my fish have black kidna spots around their mouth, 1 is an electric yellow cichlid and has had it for some time (2 mos or so) but now we are seeing it on another fish i dont know what kind it is i assume some cichlid (came with the tank) its solid bluish purple with yellow fins.

this is a mature tank has been setup of for a couple years i just recently purchased it about 3 months ago (readings 8.0, 0, 0, 20)


in the picture the back fish the the blue/puprle one i do not know, the one on the left i do not know as well. the electric yellow you can kinda see at the bottom near his mouth a lil spot (the mark on ihis body is from the tank)

 

[dthoffsett]

What are you feeding them? If you are feeding spirulina they can occasionally get black spots if fed it too often.

Oh, btw, the purple/blue fish with yellow fins is most likely pseudotropheus acei. Not sure about the fish on the left side of the pic.

Not sure if you've done any research on the fish your are keeping, but I'd suggest reading the articles below.

[URL="http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=98179"]http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=98179[/URL]
[URL="http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=27706"]http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=27706[/URL]

 

[Colin_T]

Electric yellow cichlids sometimes get black markings around their face and body when they mature or come into breeding condition. Some people say it is natural colouration but others say the fish that produce the black markings are hybrids between the yellow and blue varieties of this fish.
The other reason fish get black markings is if they have been exposed to chemicals like ammonia or chlorine. Then the black markings are cell damage (like bruises on people) and usually go after a few weeks. Make sure any new water going into the tank is free of chlorine or chloramine. Make sure you de regular water changes and that the filter is operating correctly.

The fish in the top left of the picture looks like a Jack Dempsey (Cichlasoma octofasciatum) cichlid. They are from South America.

 

[GatorJ]

ty for the articles, i will read through them.
you are dead on with pseudotropheus acei our fish looks exactoly like others i researched.

they are being fed aqueon tropical flakes "with added vitamins minerals and trace nutrients NATURAL", and with the plec being in there i usually drop a algae wafer or 2 (the cichlids get them more than he does). And 2-3 times a month blood worms

Make sure you de regular water changes and that the filter is operating correctly.

The fish in the top left of the picture looks like a Jack Dempsey (Cichlasoma octofasciatum) cichlid. They are from South America.

I recently got my api master kit (2weeks ago) and have been doing regular testings now, and always with changes.

picutes for the Cichlasoma octofasciatum didnt quite match what i think ours is, i will take another picture tomorrow in the daytime to see if we can get a side shot. (its time for a new camera)

 

[Colin_T]

if it isn't a Jack Dempsey it could be a Cichlasoma salvini.

 

[FiSh123FiSh]

My male has exactly the same thing and seems fine, I think its to do with maturity.

 

[GatorJ]

if it isn't a Jack Dempsey it could be a Cichlasoma salvini.

AMAZING! that is exactly him thats crazy thanks

And i guess ill just disregard the black spots, BTW should i pick up some of the pellets for them?

 

[foley69]

that fish is a salvini can tell with the elongated face plus it looks like mine

 

[Bert]

you should fine a new tank for that Cichlasoma salvini. they get pretty big and as a general rule south americans and africans together isn't a good idea.

 

[Teuchter]

Electric yellows will get dark around the mouth and gills as they mature - especially the males. The more dominant the male the darker he will get, especially if there are females in the tank. Maybe it's the start of that - mine did the same.

 

[dthoffsett]

Electric yellows will get dark around the mouth and gills as they mature - especially the males. The more dominant the male the darker he will get, especially if there are females in the tank. Maybe it's the start of that - mine did the same.

Actually that's not true of all l.caeruleus, in fact amongst breeders, it's undesirable and considered a sign of poor genetics. Though there has been some argument that it may just be a passive trait as there are some reports of seeing this "bearding" in wild populations.

The reason I suggested too much spirulina could be the problem is that the black spots are affecting the p.acei as well, which does not exhibit the bearding coloration.

Gator, I would suggest not feeding bloodworm with mbuna in the tank, since most of them are herbivores, and blood worm is a "meaty" protein, you may have some problems with bloat. L.caeruleus is a bit of an exception to the mbuna herbivore rule, they do enjoy meaty proteins on occasion, though it shouldn't be a main part of their diet.

Best case scenario would to get another tank and stock one with your current and more mbuna and make the other a New World cichlid tank (or community tank if the salvini is peaceful). The main reasons to avoid keeping New World and Mbuna cichlids together are: diet, mbuna are herbivores and can't properly digest meaty foods (as I explained above), while most New Worlds are carnivores. The other major reason is aggression: while juveniles, mbuna tend to be fairly peaceful, however, once they reach sexual maturity their aggression sky rockets. These fish have developed certain signals over time that allow them to communicate to each other to "stay out of my territory" or 'leave my females alone', while deaths do happen, their ability to read each other helps to avoid constant fights. However, once you mix aggressive species that never meet in nature, you run into problems. They can no longer use posturing and other body language to communicate, and scuffles can turn deadly quickly.

While there are plenty of people who have successful New/Old World tanks, there are hundreds more that have nothing but problems. If you do wish to keep the fish together, I would suggest watching them VERY closely, and have a back up tank in case things go bad.

 

[sweet1986]

The fish on the left looks like a female fire mouth, very similar to my adult female, I have also had black spots on my fish both on my electric fellows and my Malawi's nothing has changed with them except they started to breed, so from my experience its a sign of maturity.