mouth stuck open
- Thread starter ejack3377
- Start date
poor fish hope its suffering is short lived.I have had fish with the same problem.
Back in the early 90’s there was a disease that affected Cichlids known as Fat Lip Disease. It was first noticed by workers at the Steinhart Aquarium. They had a very big collection of Central American Cichlids and lost several fish to it.
I kept many CA cichlids back then and somehow the disease made its way to my tanks. It was completely random, with the only noticeable factor common to the fish I lost was that they appeared to have been infected after fighting.
I lost my prized H.carpintis and a Jack Dempsey to it. Both fish were close to a foot long. I did notice that my rift lake species didn't appear to be affected by the disease. My Oscars were not affected by this disease either for some reason.
There was no known cure at the time, but I stopped losing fish when I treated my entire stock with Metronidazole (Flagyl). I got this treatment from a book about breeding discus by Bernd Degen when I was in Germany. The treatment is for Hole In The Head, but works for most other nasty infections too.
Metronidazole (Flagyl) was designed to combat internal infections caused by flagellates in humans. It is widely used in both humans and animals and has a wide range of applications. Note: Flagyl will kill both bad and good bacteria so steer clear of treating the tank itself. Your tank will crash without question.
I was able to ask my vet for the Metronidazole. Just make sure to explain the reason for the drug and assure them you won’t take it yourself. You may be required to fill out a waiver or some other form of paperwork for liability reasons. The pills were cheap when I bought them. I think I got 100 for around 10-15 dollars.
You will need to crush the pills up and mix the power with water until it's a milky consistency. You will then have to remove the fish with a net and give the fish a dose in its mouth with a syringe intended for giving babies liquid medicine. Make sure the fish swallows some.
According to Bernd Degen, fish are not capable of overdosing from this drug. I would be cautious not to give them too much though. I would treat the other fish in the tank even if they do not show any signs of infection, because they could be carriers of the bacteria.
!!!!Make sure to perform frequent water changes for two reasons!!!!
1: Removal of the bacteria that causes the disease. It appears to be a contact based disease, but may be passed via the animals waste to other fish too.
2: When the fish pass the drug, it will affect the nitrification cycle of the tank.
I hope my information will help. Good luck.
BTW, Do not massage the fish's mouth!
Back in the early 90’s there was a disease that affected Cichlids known as Fat Lip Disease. It was first noticed by workers at the Steinhart Aquarium. They had a very big collection of Central American Cichlids and lost several fish to it.
I kept many CA cichlids back then and somehow the disease made its way to my tanks. It was completely random, with the only noticeable factor common to the fish I lost was that they appeared to have been infected after fighting.
I lost my prized H.carpintis and a Jack Dempsey to it. Both fish were close to a foot long. I did notice that my rift lake species didn't appear to be affected by the disease. My Oscars were not affected by this disease either for some reason.
There was no known cure at the time, but I stopped losing fish when I treated my entire stock with Metronidazole (Flagyl). I got this treatment from a book about breeding discus by Bernd Degen when I was in Germany. The treatment is for Hole In The Head, but works for most other nasty infections too.
Metronidazole (Flagyl) was designed to combat internal infections caused by flagellates in humans. It is widely used in both humans and animals and has a wide range of applications. Note: Flagyl will kill both bad and good bacteria so steer clear of treating the tank itself. Your tank will crash without question.
I was able to ask my vet for the Metronidazole. Just make sure to explain the reason for the drug and assure them you won’t take it yourself. You may be required to fill out a waiver or some other form of paperwork for liability reasons. The pills were cheap when I bought them. I think I got 100 for around 10-15 dollars.
You will need to crush the pills up and mix the power with water until it's a milky consistency. You will then have to remove the fish with a net and give the fish a dose in its mouth with a syringe intended for giving babies liquid medicine. Make sure the fish swallows some.
According to Bernd Degen, fish are not capable of overdosing from this drug. I would be cautious not to give them too much though. I would treat the other fish in the tank even if they do not show any signs of infection, because they could be carriers of the bacteria.
!!!!Make sure to perform frequent water changes for two reasons!!!!
1: Removal of the bacteria that causes the disease. It appears to be a contact based disease, but may be passed via the animals waste to other fish too.
2: When the fish pass the drug, it will affect the nitrification cycle of the tank.
I hope my information will help. Good luck.
BTW, Do not massage the fish's mouth!
I think it's a bactiria or disease like most every one has said already. I say this because i've seen red texas get the same symptoms them fungus then die. Good luck. hope you don't loose him/her
