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View Full Version : Is this normal for a Sharknose Goby?


jostafew
11-15-2010, 09:39 PM
Hey everyone! I just got a new Sharknose Goby that I've been waiting a couple months for, and now that it's been in quarantine for a couple days and moved close enough to take pictures of I see something goofy with its mouth; it looks like it's gaping way open and its gills are spread way open! The mouth never really closes, it just hangs open while it breathes. I'm a little concerned that either it's damaged somehow (and I should be taking it back to the store) or somehow it's gaping for lack of oxygen in the water?

Anyway, I got a few good shots of it so please let me know if it looks odd!

Thanks in advance

http://members.shaw.ca/jostafew/IMG_1476.JPG

http://members.shaw.ca/jostafew/IMG_1477.JPG
http://members.shaw.ca/jostafew/IMG_1479.JPG

http://members.shaw.ca/jostafew/IMG_1486.JPG

paddyob
11-15-2010, 09:41 PM
WOW. I don't know if it is a "problem"... but I have personally never seen one that looked like that.

christyf5
11-15-2010, 10:23 PM
Is it one of those "captive bred/tank raised/etc" ones? Sort of looks like a malformed jaw to me. It sometimes happens when rearing fish in large batches and is usually due to water/egg quality. If its gotten this far and can still eat its likely fine.

If you're worried about it I would definitely take it back, esp if you haven't seen it eat yet. Its hard to tell but its gills and area on its stomach look kind of inflamed, that could be normal too as they have pretty thin skin in those areas.

Myka
11-15-2010, 11:52 PM
If it's already in the QT I would bring the salinity down with a refractometer and treat using hyposalinity. His gills looks awfully inflamed and irritated, so I would be suspect of parasites on the gills. Flukes, Ich....could be a number of ickies. If it's Isopods you would need to do a freshwater dip, but that's hard on them.

Is this fish from ORA?

jostafew
11-16-2010, 04:56 AM
Hey everyone, thanks for the replies. I know the gills look very inflamed but I believe that is due more to the camera's flash than anything. Under normal lighting I don't see the redness that's there with the camera flash or pointing a flashlight right at it. That being said I will certainly consider dropping the salinity (slowly of course) but I will have to do some planning as the QT tank is being shared by this fish and a few coral frags that arrived about a week ahead of it. I got impatient and am quarantining two things at once.... guess it's better than no QT!

I picked it up Friday and began offering food (very small pcs of frozen mysis shrimp & cyclopeez) twice a day and have yet to see it eat, so that's better than 3 days and no sign of an appetite.

I was wondering about the malformed jaw myself. I'm not sure of it's origin except that I got it from the last batch to hit J&L Aquatics last week. I've got an email out to them to see what they have to say about it, but I am certainly considered taking it back. I am hoping they will agree that there is something wrong and it should come back in.