bala shark mouth problem

[charlie]

A Bala shark in a community tank is not able to close his mouth.
There is no visable obstruction ,like small gravel and no sign of any infection. Any one any ideas as to the problem and hopefully remedy.

 

[Rose]

I need a lot more info than what you have given in order to help you. I need to know what your tank peramiters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH) are. What your tank maintance is like (when you do water changes, how much what you condition the water with, how ofter you do water changes things like that). I need to know size of tank, ALL tank critters, how many, size of those critters, tank temp, any stressors you can think of, the food you feed this tank, how long the tank has been up and running, is the tank cycled. Anything else you can think of that might help. Give me this info and then I can help you further. Rose 8)

 

[Rivulus]

I have seen mouth problems in balas before. They are schooling minnows that get very nervous and unsettled when not kept in groups. They also need a large tank. When "spooked" they have a tendency to move very fast in a straight line. I have seen lots of them in the 4" - 10" range that have run into the side of a tank and broken their jaws.

I once walked into a fishroom and turned on the lights. I heard a "thump" from a 55 gal and found a bala almost knocked silly from hitting the tank. Fortunately, he recovered.