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![]() | Disappearing Mouths |
knifegill![]() Small Fry Posts: 1 Kudos: 1 Votes: 0 Registered: 17-Jan-2005 | I had a tank of guppies live for a year without mouths. They weren't watched closely and one day I noticed their 'missing mandibles'. They ate and were otherwise healthy until I fed them to a carnivore. But recently, I bought a septuplet of male plakats. They were quarrantined but may have been exposed to this peculiar condition by way of siphon or hand (though time elapsed). One had fin rot and then one died of dropsy within the first week or two. The tank was cycled. Really, it was. Okay, I took an established filter from another tank so there were probably a few swings. Their mouths disappeared and they died shortly thereafter. To the point...my fish's mouths have been disappearing without sign of disease or injury. I can attribute this to something contagious. I can almost explain the issues in my own case, but miles away in a guaranteed no-contact tank, my fiancee's betta is being afflicted with this vanishing mouth thing..What? How? No fuzz. No other signs. I can see her teeth where her skin is gone. Diet of flake, pellet, bloodworm and algae wafer. 7gal bowfront 0 ammonia 0 NitrIte less than point ten ppm on nitrates. temperature 79 degrees. pH neutral Otocinclus as tankmate. Eats zuccini and wafers. Recent outbreak of odd spotty algae. Come to think of it, all tanks with disappearing mouths have had good amounts of algae. Any clue? Any theories at all? |
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sirbooks![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Moderator Sociopath Posts: 3875 Kudos: 5164 Votes: 932 Registered: 26-Jul-2004 ![]() ![]() ![]() | The best I can think of is some kind of bacterial infection. I'm fairly sure that fin rot and mouth rot are usually caused by bacteria. Those diseases most often occur in tanks with elevated nitrate. The copious algae you mentioned could be another sign of nitrate. My only guess is that nitrate and bacteria are the culprits here. Are you able to test for nitrate? |
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Kunzman96![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Hobbyist Posts: 144 Kudos: 91 Votes: 115 Registered: 29-Oct-2006 ![]() ![]() | I agree with Sir Books. It sounds like mouth rot wich is a bacterial infection just like fin rot, caused by poor water conditions as he stated. Also this can be transmitted through splashed water or by using the same net. Did your fiancee ever use your net? Test vials? Siphon vaccum? etc. You should treat your tank to see if you can kill it and possibly save your inhabitants. Oh, and what are your tank cleaning habits? How often do you siphon vaccum and change water? Good luck! ![]() "Talk is cheap. Action can be almost as affordable" |
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