Angelfish With Huge Lips... Is It Sick?

[2polypterus]

My cousin bought a dime sized koi angelfish about a year ago. She kept it in her ten gallon tank with 6 bloodfins and 2 cories up until today. The tank is heated and well filtered but she rarely does water changes so the nitrates are probably high. I saw it and asked her if I could have it since it had outgrown the tank. She gave it to me to put in a fifty five gallon with four other angels. When I was bagging it I noticed it has HUGE protruding lips! They look like tumors. It seems healthy and normal in all other ways. I have it here now but I am afraid to release it into my tank in case that is some kind of disease? Anyone have any clues about this? Thanks alot for advice!

 

[JAY323]

can u post a pIC?

 

[2polypterus]

I have a couple pictures but I am an idiot.. Can't figure out how to upload them. Do I need to put them on photobucket first or can I upload them directly somehow??

 

[2polypterus]

hmm.. figured it out i think...

 

[JAY323]

I have a couple pictures but I am an idiot.. Can't figure out how to upload them. Do I need to put them on photobucket first or can I upload them directly somehow??

upload em to photobucket 1st i guess

i think its mouth fungus


http/fins.actwin.com/articles/disease/fungus.php

im not sure if its mouth fungus kinda bad pic bit here......

 

[fish_fetish65]

botox

 

[SamUK]

botox

LOL

 

[2polypterus]

haha... plastic surgery for pets would def not surprise me! But seriously...if it is mouth fungus.. what is the best treatment? I have it in a ten QT tank.

 

[JAY323]

haha... plastic surgery for pets would def not surprise me! But seriously...if it is mouth fungus.. what is the best treatment? I have it in a ten QT tank.

take the fish to petsmart and ask them and show em your fish

 

[2polypterus]

I don't shop at corporate chain stores.

 

[Tolak]

I don't shop at corporate chain stores.

I would say it is bacterial in nature. That fish is stunted, they eye is too big for the body size. The red line that appears to be running nearly paralell to the lateral line & spreading to a Y at the tail indicates septicemia. As long as the fish is eating this would be a bigger concern than the lips. If you have access to oxytetracycline medicate with that in a seperate quar tank, if not, Maracyn I & II would be the next best med.

 

[2polypterus]

I don't shop at corporate chain stores.

I would say it is bacterial in nature. That fish is stunted, they eye is too big for the body size. The red line that appears to be running nearly paralell to the lateral line & spreading to a Y at the tail indicates septicemia. As long as the fish is eating this would be a bigger concern than the lips. If you have access to oxytetracycline medicate with that in a seperate quar tank, if not, Maracyn I & II would be the next best med.

Thanks so much for the advice! It doesn't seem like a fungus to me because it is not "fuzzy" at all. The fish is still eating with gusto. I don't have another QT tank but tomorrow or tuesday I will go to my lfs to pick up the meds you suggested and I will get rid of the remaining goldfish. Is the lip problem related to the septicemia or the stunting? It literally looks like tumors inside and outside of his mouth.

 

[Tolak]

If the fish is eating I wouldn't worry about the lips. They are actually what is referred to as fibroma, I looked into it, and they can be surgically removed. This takes a steady hand, and a sharp, clean blade. Care is needed to remove only the overgrown tissue, the bottom lip tends to heal better than the top. I would only be concerned with this if the fish seems to have difficulty eating.

The lip fibroma may be related to the undersized tank the fish grew in, the septicemia & stunting almost certainly are. The fish may or may not grow more if given the proper amount of tank space, as well as a good diet. This will probably depend more on the age of the fish, it only seems slightly stunted, as the fins appear to be in pretty good shape. A dime size angel is usually around 2 to 3 months old, so this fish is around 14 or 15 months old, giving it a decent chance.

 

[2polypterus]

Thanks so much for all the helpful info! I really appreciate it! I have a lot of faith in this fish healing. It seems like a really tough angel! I wish my cousin had given it to me a long time ago, before all this had happened! I will do my best to heal it up though. Hopefully it makes a full recovery and can go grow up in my fifty five with some other angels.

 

[Scykotic Belief]

i thought the lips might be to do with the concentration of amonia in the tank before
because high concentrations burn the eyes and lips...etc, so i believe this has happen at a young age, but being able to survive it stunted its overall growth resulting in that.