Deformed Fish?

[Nyte]

So, I went to Big Al's today to get some new fish. Maybe some of you remember my recent thread about getting some thing to liven up the tank and who will eat platy fry.

Well I ended up with 1 bolivian ram, which I love already. I wanted to get a pair but the guy said they were all male and its very rare they get females Maybe he wasn't being truthful, but as far as I could tell (which isn't much) there were no females.

Anywho, that's not my question. I also got 2 Furcata Rainbows. They are GORGEOUS but very small. The female I got looks like her jaw is broken! When I had released them from the bag I noticed. It looks like either her mouth is stuck wide open or there's a skin flap hanging down. I'm pretty sure it's her mouth that is stuck wide open, but she moves so fast and is SO tiny it's hard to say for sure.

My question is... do you guys think she can survive like this? Or should I take her back? From my observations she is able to eat and very active. But I only got her home a few hours ago.

Opinions?

 

[Dorkhedeos]

nope, i doubt it will survive. my neon was like that, it couldnt eat, probably the cause of its death

 

[Mr Miagi]

Fish are very resiliant little creatures, well, some are, so chances are she might just get along. But if your sure she has a problem, i would call up the place you got her at, BIg als, and see if they wont exchange her.

 

[Nyte]

She is able to eat for sure! I fed her a bit and she had a huge appetite for such a little fish. She's even able to do the classic, spit food out and eat it again that my other fish do. I suppose my main worry would be her breathing (maybe the gills don't work well with an open mouth?!) or well I don't know... infection maybe? I just have no idea what happens to a fish who can't close their mouth!

If the majority's opinion is she's going to die I suppose I'll trade her back, she was 5.99 for a tiny little girl... but I know she'll have little to no chance at the lfs. It would be a nice fish story if I could keep her alive dispite this.

 

[Joby]

I had a betta juvie that managed to lock her jaw wide open trying to eat a cory egg that was too big for her

Although her mouth was wide open she seemed to be able to eat artemia and such and she could come up for air. In the space of 3 weeks however her open mouth turned into a slit and she was unable to eat and struggled to get air in. I had to euthanise her which was very sad

If it were me, I'd bag it up and take it back.

 

[Dwarfs]

If your fish is eating well then I wouldn't worry about the mouth Fish can adapt very well, and it seems that the rainbow has done just that If you notice infection or anything like that, you should treat the fish, if not, don't worry about it

 

[Matchu]

I saw an oscar like this, it seemed a full sized one, so that had survived.

I think the guy was telling the truth, people want the males a lot more because they have brighter colours. I rarely see any females.

I saw a pair in the fish shop once, but my tank hadnt cycled

 

[jflowers]

If the jaw still concerns you, contact your local vet, if they don't deal with fish, they will know someone who does. It gets expensive at this point, but thats part of the hobby.

Jon