Mouth won't close - trauma?

[saltbox19]

My A. cacatuoides today developed a gaping mouth that just will not shut. It looks as though he has it open as far as it can go and is stuck. My concern is that some damage has been done to his jaw, perhaps in a skirmish with another fish. He is a large adult around 2 years old and was hatched and raised in the tank. There are currently no other ciclids in the tank (his parents were massacred in the ciclid wars of 2002, due to, I believe, a stocking miscalculation on our part). Has anyone heard of this affliction? Is there a disease I am overlooking that would cause this? If it is trauma, is there a way to help him get his mouth back to normal? He is such a beautiful specimen and has been such a survivor, we would hate to lose him. Any help would be welcomed.[/b]

 

[Randall]

Gaping Mouth Disease

Hello Saltbox,

Unfortunately, this type of thing happens on occasion. Your fish might have dislocated his jaw in a jaw locking squirmish, but I can't say for sure. Can you see any obstruction in his mouth? It may be necessary to net him, place him on a wet towel and see if anything is lodged inside. It's a judgement call, but you may try to very gently close his mouth using wet fingers if nothing is stuck inside.

Good luck!

Randall Kohn