Spots On Rainbowfish

[TheChards]

Hi guys,

A couple of my rainbowfish have developed several dark blotches on their bodies. They're not very big, perhaps a few millimetres across and there's maybe about 3 or 4 on each side of both of them. But they don't look like they should be there and I wondered if anybody has seen anything similar or has any idea what it may be? The fish in themselves seem to be happy and are still active and eating but I'd like to know what this is or if it's something that needs to be treated.

Unfortunately I don't have a photo at the moment but I can post one this evening...

Thanks,
Dan

 

[drobbyb]

Hi guys,

A couple of my rainbowfish have developed several dark blotches on their bodies. They're not very big, perhaps a few millimetres across and there's maybe about 3 or 4 on each side of both of them. But they don't look like they should be there and I wondered if anybody has seen anything similar or has any idea what it may be? The fish in themselves seem to be happy and are still active and eating but I'd like to know what this is or if it's something that needs to be treated.

Unfortunately I don't have a photo at the moment but I can post one this evening...

Thanks,
Dan

Get us that pic!

 

[TheChards]

Hi guys, here are the photos as promised...

If anyone can tell me what this is or what I need to do then I will be eternally grateful!

Thanks,
Dan

 

[Colin_T]

how long ago did the spots/ marks start to appear?

I would say it is colouration that is coming through as it is in individual scales. They also look like hybrids so they could continue changing colour as they mature. However, it could be blood spots where the fish have been damaged but that would only occur if another fish was attacking them.

 

[TheChards]

Originally I bought the fish in the first photo by himself and kept him with 3 Dwarf Gourami, 2 Upsidedown Catfish and 3 Ember Tetras in a fully cycled 60-litre tank which developed a bit of an Algii problem when I removed some plants that weren't doing so well.

He started to show these small black patches last Thursday and on Saturday I moved him into a 120-litre tank along with 1 of the Dwarf Gourami from the smaller tank. I also added 3 more newly bought Rainbowfish at the same time. There are also 2 Cories and an Angelfish in the bigger tank with them.

A few days later, the other fish in the photo started to show similar black patches.

When the fish are showing their colours particularly brightly, these marks can be hardly noticeable, but if ever their colours aren't quite so vivid then these marks are more obvious. I've not seen any signs of any fighting and most of the time the fish seem perfectly happy so I'm hoping that it's just colouration coming through or something natural.

Any thoughts/ comments are very much welcomed!

Thanks,
Dan

PS - Can anyone identify what type of Rainbowfish these are? They were sold as Bosemanis but someone else in the same shop said he wasn't sure and I ended up getting quite confused about the whole thing - thanks

 

[loachman]

PS - Can anyone identify what type of Rainbowfish these are? They were sold as Bosemanis but someone else in the same shop said he wasn't sure and I ended up getting quite confused about the whole thing - thanks

The look like hybrids to me. Maybe a bosemani and Melanotaenia trifasciata cross? Hybrids are not easy to determine, but at least those are two common species or rainbow so it's possible.

Male Bosemanis will have a very distinct color break with a orange aft and blue fore sections. These are VERY washed out for bosemanis and appear to have some striping which is not found on bosemanis.

 

[Colin_T]

The top fish in the third picture looks a bit like a boesemani but faded and with horizontal lines, so they could be boesemani x.

Did you do anything to the tank a day or so before the spots appeared on the first fish (last Thursday), perhaps a water change or filter maintenance?

Monitor them over the next few weeks and keep us informed n what happens. It's kind of interesting

 

[TheChards]

Hi guys, thanks for your advice.

I don’t think these photos really do the fish justice as I was trying to focus more on the black patches than anything else. I’m still a bit worried about these though, and could do with some reassurance from anyone else who may have come across anything similar?

Although it varies throughout the day, the colour of our rainbows can be quite intense at times. After I open the curtains in the morning, it usually takes them a few minutes before they become particularly active but their colours are stunning! The colour is usually split in the middle and is dark blue on the front half and a very bright reddy orange on the back half and tail.

Could the washed-out seeming colour be because the fish are still young? I thought it could take a few months or more to fully develop their colours?

Thanks,
Dan

 

[drobbyb]

how long ago did the spots/ marks start to appear?

I would say it is colouration that is coming through as it is in individual scales. They also look like hybrids so they could continue changing colour as they mature. However, it could be blood spots where the fish have been damaged but that would only occur if another fish was attacking them.

I have to agree with Colin on this one. It looks like it's coloration coming through. These guys are most likely hybrids like stated. Depending on what they are crossed with, their colors will change dramaticailly as they age and you never know what they are going to look like until they reach adulthood.

 

[TheChards]

Hi everyone,

Just a quick post to say that those strange marks on my Rainbows seem to have disappeared now, or at least have become far less obvious. So I’m not entirely sure what they were but the fish don’t look unhealthy and seem perfectly happy to be living with each other.

Still not sure exactly what breed these Rainbows are either but it sounds like they’re cross-bred as suggested here. They’re certainly very beautiful though and I love how their colours change throughout the day; it’s almost like they’re different fish in the morning compared to the evenings!

On another note, has anyone here ever kept a male Betta with Rainbows before? And if so, how did he get on? I’m not planning to add a Betta to the same tank at the moment but may have to re-home one from smaller quarters if he doesn’t get on with his tank-mates (Silver Mollies)…

Many thanks,
Dan

 

[loachman]

On another note, has anyone here ever kept a male Betta with Rainbows before? And if so, how did he get on? I’m not planning to add a Betta to the same tank at the moment but may have to re-home one from smaller quarters if he doesn’t get on with his tank-mates (Silver Mollies)…

Many thanks,
Dan

I'm guessing it probably won't work. Bettas are pretty slow swimmers and rainbows are anything but slow.