very messed up mouth on molly

[Speakerman]

I've had this 55 gal tank for a good while, its compeletly cycled and has perfect water conditions. It's got an xP2 filter on it, I've got 6 serpe tetras, 6 red eye tetras, 4 bala sharks, 3 red tail botia, 1 1" cray with no claws, 2 tiger barbs, and a small african cichlid. The temperature usually sets around 78-80.

I just recently put this fish in here after purchase from wally world... There is no point in describing the problem...look at the pic...

It's mouth is really messed up. Almost like something big bit him...but I don't have anything mean...and never had this problem before...Could it be a disease? I Qt'd it cause I was scared it would infect all the fish.



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[dskidmore]

With a 55 gallon tank, it might be worth your while/money to get a 10 gallon QT and QT future purchaces before putting them in the display tank.

You did the right thing in QTing the molly.

It's hard to tell from here if that's an injury or an infection, but if it's an injury, secondary infection is a major hazard, so either way I'd start a course of antibiotics.

Could you describe the texture of the red area?

[Speakerman]

It's not just a red color. The mouth is actually not functional. It's swollen open, or broken to the point where it is gaping open.

[dskidmore]

sounding more and more like an infection.

I'd suggest maracyn plus and a touch of salt. I am no expert though. looks pretty bad. i hope she is ok

[Speakerman]

Could high nitrates be a partial culprit? I did a test and everything was zero but the nitrates for high...like 80-90 ppm. I did a 15 % water change and I will re-check in the morning.

I bought some anti-bacterial medication for the molly...its called melafix. I am supposed to dose once per day for a week, then water change, then continue treatment if needed.

I hope she gets better.

i think you are going to need something stronger than melafix, like maracyn or tetracycline

[Speakerman]

Well...In all honesty...It was a 2 dollar fish..and I spent 7 bucks on this medicine...I will not be getting anything else...Hopefully this will work...

alright, this is going to probably make you mad at me. if it does, i am very sorry.


I got a kitten for free once. She didn't cost me anything. She wasn't weened yet. I went out and spent $40 on formula that day to feed her. She ended up getting sick. I spent another $350 on vet bills and antibiotics.

She cost way more than I paid for her. and now she is a happy, healthy kitten. I can't put a $ value on her life and the happiness she brings me. When I agreed to take her life into my home and hands, I agreed to take care of her the best I could, provide for her the best I could. Make sure I did everything I could for her wellbeing.

You can't put a $ value on a life. Fish, cat, human. You just can't.

I am no expert, so i don't really know what your fish needs medically. Ijust gave my best advice. But, I hope the melafix is enough to fix his mouth. And, i am not insisting that you go buy a stronger antibiotic in this post, but maybe reconsider the value of your fish's life. it really bothers me when people say things like "they aren't worth the money" in regards to pets.

Ask yourself...if this fish were a dog or a kitten, would you spend more to save it?

/e steps off soap box.

I am very sorry honestly if i have offended you. I just can't help it when I see things like that said about animals we agreed to care for.

[dskidmore]

Originally Posted by FishyPeanut

You can't put a $ value on a life.

It's done all the time, even on human life. Talk to a health insurance company if you don't believe me.

Anyway, obviously Speakerman lacks either cash or will to spend it, so let's help him work with what he has rather than chase him off.

Originally Posted by Speakerman

Could high nitrates be a partial culprit?

Any water quality problem will increase stress, depress the immune system, and slow healing. It could be a contributing factor, although not the root cause. You may want to consider stepping up the weekly water changes. Overfeeding can also contribute to high nitrates.

You may need to do extra water changes in the QT as the ammonia rises. Simply treat the replacement water (according to it's own volume) with the medication before putting it in, and you'll maintain the dosage between main treatments.

I agree it is done all the time. doesn't make it right, and i don't think it should be encouraged. And i don't want to chase speakerman off, i want to help his fish. I understand we don't always have the funds.


I wasn't trying to chase anyone off. just change perspective. Again, I am sorry if i offended. I just think sometimes people forget that fish are pets too. and that we agreed to care for them when we brought home that little baggie. just because they aren't furry and don't bark or cuddle doesn't reduce our responsibility we agreed to when we brought them home.

On that note:

You might also want to prep some fry food for this little guy. Smushed up boiled egg yolk in water and an eye dropper near his mouth. he looks like he is going to have some trouble eating while he is like that. This might help him. he will need food to get better.

also, salting mollies will not hurt them, and will likely help the wound to heal. Mollies like brackish water, so salting slowly but a decent amount, will probably help a lot.

if you don't have a filter in teh QT, add an airstone if you can.

and if it comes down to it, i have used neosporin cream on my mollies wounds with great success. Also used it on an african cichlid with great success.

I took the fish out of the water, placed on a clean, dry paper towel. Using a q-tip, i very gently put the cream on it's wounds. i returned to the tank after doing this. all the fish i have treated with neosporin have done very well.

Many people will disagree with this as a treatment, but I researched it before i did it (i had an african get quite a chunk taken off him by a tank mate, and a molly with an infection) and it worked for me. something you might consider. if you do it, just do the outside of his mouth, try not to get it in his mouth, although i don't think it would hurt him badly if you did.

I learned the neosporin tip from a friend of mine in the dept of forestry. they tag fish, and when they do, the put neosporin on the tag wounds.

[dskidmore]

Originally Posted by FishyPeanut

I have used neosporin cream on my mollies wounds with great success.

Very interesting! It doesn't have problems disolving into the water? It stays on the wound?

it doesn't appear to. it worked really well on my fish. improvement in 24 hours.

[dskidmore]

Given the condition of this fish, I wouldn't be against trying such an experimental method. If she isn't able to eat, she won't recover.

[Speakerman]

I came home from work today...and she is gone.

I either didn't have good enough medicine, or didn't catch the injury soon enough...

The lesson to be learned here is check all your tanks daily to make sure everybody is healthy...

[joannde]

Aw Speakerman, I'm sorry. Your heart was in the right place.

I check my tank and occupants twice a day when I feed - I turn the filter down and stand there watching them and doing my headcount. I caught ich in its very early stages (one spot on one fish) twice this way.

There's no way for you to know if you actually missed the injury by not checking - for all you know it happened 15 minutes before you saw it so please don't beat yourself up too badly.

Keep up on your water changes - clean water is always a good first line of defense against nasties and infections.