What causes black spots to develop on Apisto?

[NatureAquatics]

See pictures attached. Tank is well established, pH 6.5 and temp 80f. Wondering if anyone knows why these 2 both developed black spots around the same time?

 

[Mike Wise]

Did these fish come in with the black patches or did they develop once in your tank?

 

[NatureAquatics]

Did these fish come in with the black patches or did they develop once in your tank?

They developed in the tank, right around the same time and after about a month in the tank.

 

[NatureAquatics]

Did these fish come in with the black patches or did they develop once in your tank?

There are other apistos of the same species in the tank that were unaffected. And maybe some other species as well. Just saw it on one male and one female.

 

[Nik. NDR.]

I’ve been meaning to ask the same thing…

I have the same thing happen to all my dwarf cichlids, but it doesn’t spread to other fish. And it doesn’t look like “black ich” there is no encapsulated spot. My fish also seem to control it to a degree, when they are flashing and turn their colours on the spots seem to vanish or fade. Any ideas?

 

[Mike Wise]

Melanoma? I doubt it however.

 

[NatureAquatics]

I believe it’s genetics based on my research and talking to other experts

 

[Mike Wise]

There is a black-patch syndrome that occurs in fish brought in wild from the upper Amazon, but I've never seen it passed on to other fish in their tank nor their offspring. It may be a diagenetic parasite that needs 2 different kinds of hosts before it can infect a fish.

 

[Nik. NDR.]

I believe it’s genetics based on my research and talking to other experts

Could be, but then the offspring has the genes for it too, right? Then they could develop it too?

There is a black-patch syndrome that occurs in fish brought in wild from the upper Amazon, but I've never seen it passed on to other fish in their tank nor their offspring. It may be a diagenetic parasite that needs 2 different kinds of hosts before it can infect a fish.

All my fish are tank bred specimens, so I can rule that out for me.

Just a shame when you have such a beautiful animal… but at least all the behaviour is still there!