Magestic angel with discoloration

[newsalt]

My Magestic angel has some spotty discoloration on its head. It's not white spots or anything like that. It's just that some spots on the head area are not as deep blue as the rest. It's eating fine, just the coloring seems off. Any thoughts?

 

[sandwi54]

Many pomacanthus angels display such discolorations especially on their heads. These are often stress indications. Is the majestic angel new to your tank? Is it undergoing QT and/or treatment? Please provide more details regarding its background and we can pinpoint a cause.

 

[newsalt]

It's been in my tank, a 180g for about three weeks. It's sharing he tank with 3 tangs (hippo, kole, and convict), a pair of clowns, bicolor angel, and Christmas wrasse. It hides occasionally, then comes out, then back to hiding. Seems to east well. That's about all I can tell you.

 

[humaguy]

can you post a pic? they are quite shy for as far as angels go...how aggressive are your clowns? who is the king of the tank? somebody might be bullying your navarchus as they are easy targets...

 

[shaka]

My Majestic will occasionally have pale "patches" on its body as well as its head and they're never in the same place. They go away in about a day or so and then he looks as good as new. I was alarmed at first but I just think he is either bumping into things on occasion or having a tussle with another fish. I've had him for three years and he has always had the discolored patches occasionally, even when he was alone in the tank for a year.

 

[rssjsb]

Mine was pretty tiny and shy when I got it, so I tended to notice and worry about every little thing, including the discolorations you describe. I've had the fish for at least five years now. The patches seem to resolve themselves in a day or two. I've always assumed they were just scrapes from darting into the rocks.

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

Sounds like the beginnings of HLLE, I had a small majestic with this issue as well. I'm not sure anyone knows the exact reason, but possible causes are: running carbon, stress, poor water quality (high nitrates), poor diet, and stray voltage.

 

[rssjsb]

What I'm describing isn't HLLE, which I've seen before. Actually my majestic had a mild case once before after copper treatment in QT.

What my majestic had would really look more like his color had been smudged or rubbed off in a small area. It always went away in a day or so.