About CichlidandGuppyLover

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Hi! I've frequented this thread when I needed answers, but I've finally come across a problem I don't see a solution too yet. I have 11 tanks, and am working on a 12th. I have bettas, guppies, platies, mollies, swordtails, angelfish, neon tetras, rummy nose tetras, silver tip tetras, oscars, one convict, dwarf gouramis, blood red parrot cichlids, glo danios, danios, kuhli loaches, yo yo loaches, hillstream loaches, panda corys, emerald corys, salt and peper corys, julii corys, bristlenose plecos, one common pleco, clown plecos, and mystery snails. I water change 20% on each of them weekly. None of them have live plants in them.
 
hi, what is the problem? I have several tanks and many of the same fish. I do a 50-60% water change weekly. I gave up on live plants. Most didnā€™t do well & then I got a massive snail infestation from eggs on the plants.
 
I have an Oscar who's mouth is stuck open. I bought him last summer, so I think he's between 9 months and 1 year old. He always used to be able to close his mouth, until a few months ago. It started with him leaving his mouth open a little, but in the past week, it's open all the way. He's now unable to eat. The only things I could find said he could have something stuck, but I don't think he does. His gravel is very large, and I'm pretty sure I would notice if there was some stuck. The other possibility I've seen is mouth deformity. Everyone who said mouth deformity said that they could still eat, so I'm really not sure what could be wrong with him. Any information would be greatly appreciated!
 
Iā€™m so sorry. Iā€™ve never observed this is my two Oscars. One takes in and spits out gravel while hunting for pellets. I sure hope someone more experienced than me here can help. Iā€™ll see if I can ask around.
 
Could it be that it's a muscle problem? And infected muscle problem could cause this as well. It's true that most fish can still eat when they have a deformed mouth. But it also depends on how bad the deformed mouth is, of course.
I had a koi that had a deformed mouth from birth but she ate well and she became 90cm.
 
Could it be that it's a muscle problem? And infected muscle problem could cause this as well. It's true that most fish can still eat when they have a deformed mouth. But it also depends on how bad the deformed mouth is, of course.
I had a koi that had a deformed mouth from birth but she ate well and she became 90cm.
I find the fact this condition arose within a few mon the and is getting worse and the fish canā€™t eat worrisome
 
You name a lot of fish and tanks but don't say what is in the tank with the oscar. Are there any other cichlids? If there are other cichlids it could possibly be a battle wound. Oscars look all tough but really are wimps that will try to run from a fight. One way some cichlids fight is to attack the opponent's jaw trying to break the jaw bone. If they succeed they will leave the fight as the battle is won and the injured fish will starve as it can no longer feed. The mouth hanging open could be possibly the result of such a fatal battle. If this happens to be the case there is nothing that you can do... sorry... :(

Another thing I notice in your list of fish is 1 convict. Convicts in a small group of 2-4 can be OK in a community tank if the tank is large enough and they are put in young but solo can become VERY aggressive.
 
How is the Oscar? I couldnā€™t find a similar case, asking around. Most cases of open mouth were from smaller fish tapped in the Oscarā€˜s mouth.
Some people extracted it with tweezers while holding the fish in a wet washcloth. Others allowed it to be slowly digested. Some said their Oscar had lock jaw and the outcome was bad. But these cases appear different from yours.

I sincerely hope itā€™s one of those things that canā€™t be easily diagnosed, but goes away on its own.
 

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