Juv. Emperor with smudges????

[Roly]

I have a a juv. emperor that has been healthy for a few months now. He eats well and shows no signs of stress. However lately he has been developing smudges. This is the best way to describe them. Little whitish/gray smudges along the top of his body. The smudges arent very bright, in fact I have to get up close to see them. They are about the size of a smiley . Maybe smaller. Like little eraser marks.

110 gal. (Fish only)
1.021 S.G
78 F
Nitrates 20ish on the Low range
PH 83
RODI water (10%ish water changes every week)
Skimmer/ UV/ Carbon

1 Lion Fish
1 juv. Emperor
1 Sailfin Tang
1 Watchman Goby

Thanks in advance for your help. (Sorry no pics)

 

[Roly]

La la la la la BUMP....Oops did I do that?

 

[NC2WA]

Do you happen to have a pic of this?

Could it be that it is being picked on by another fish in your tank??
Or could it be rubbing against the LR??
<just brainstorming and throwing out ideas>

 

[Roly]

Thanks! I dont have any pics (no camera) however I dont think it would show up anyway. It's pretty light. I dont see any of the fish picking on him. He avoids the lionfish and he and the Sailfin Tang seem to be best friends now.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

"Smudges" as in dull color spots on angels, tangs and the like are typically a sign of stress. Could be from an irritation such as ich or bacteria, or not happy with the water.

 

[returnofsid]

Could it possibly be changing from Juvenile to Adult coloration?

 

[LakeEd]

I would agree with Mike. Sounds like stress related to water conditions. Even though you have a Fish-Only tank, I think its possible to get your Nitrate level much lower than 20, and this may help these smudges you are seeing.

I would say to up your water changes to 20%-25% weekly, and hopefully that will help drop your Nitrates. Also examine how much you are feeding. Your high Nitrate level is coming from somewhere, and over feeding and/or the type of food is often the cause. The water changes will help reduce the Nitrate level you currently have, and careful feeding may help reduce the amount of Nitrates produced in the future, further helping to keep Nitrate levels under control.

 

[Roly]

Thanks everyone. I'll try doing that. Ive thouht about the angel possibly moving from juv. to adult too! But, I'll try doing larger water changes to see if that helps. Thanks again for the help.

 

[NC2WA]

Roly,

Is the angelfish eating well??
Are its eyes clear or cloudy??

 

[Roly]

The angel is eating very well. In fact, he eats better than everyone else. He's a pig :lol: His eyes arent cloudy either. Other than the smudges, he looks/acts very healthy.