Ocellaris question?

Question

I bought an Ocellaris Clownfish from my lfs about a month ago. I just noticed that the upper half of its body is turning a light shade of black. it doesnt seem sick, still very active.

I also have a Black & White Ocellaris Clownfish and a maroon and gold clownfish. I dont know if its possible but could it be mimicing the black and white? Could it be a vitimin defficiency? Water Quality is great, what could it be?

Answer 1

I've never heard of color change like this in an ocellaris. The only time I know that they'll change colors is if they're in a tank with corals and are being stung, then they can turn darker, but this usually happens at the site of the sting. See the photo of the clown in this link in the section on hypermelanazation (producing excessive dark pigment): http://home2.pacific.net.ph/~sweetyummy42/disease.html

I know it's normal to have clownfish turn lighter as the lights go out in order to "camoflage" to prevent being noticed by predators. It would be interesting to know if these can turn darker as well to mimic a similar fish. At the least, I would suggest that you take periodic photos to document the color change.