Mandarin missing top lip?

Kyuubi

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 23, 2021
Messages
158
Reaction score
166
Location
Fontana
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Hi everyone, so I had noticed something weird with my mandarins mouth today, it looks like he doesn’t have an upper lip! He’s eating fine still, but I was wondering if it was because of a disease, or injury? Can it regrow? Here’s a few pictures of him that I tried to get.

ADFC95EA-9C5E-4CCA-849D-DEF9055DF6D0.jpeg 6E695DDB-84DE-489C-9E06-44FFF48DDF8C.jpeg 70396E69-AE92-432E-BE72-F173B5FE0389.jpeg 35675721-857A-4800-AD3F-C26E3C6AB605.jpeg AAD5DFE0-CA47-4797-9A52-87284F100485.jpeg
 

KrisReef

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
May 15, 2018
Messages
15,227
Reaction score
31,279
Location
ADX Florence
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Looks like the ones they sell at Walmart?
e6c43832-2bd5-4e6c-b048-b58876e74171_1.2264aa023cc5073df34c34502f099917.jpeg
So I think it's how they roll.
 
OP
OP
Kyuubi

Kyuubi

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 23, 2021
Messages
158
Reaction score
166
Location
Fontana
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Looks like the ones they sell at Walmart?
e6c43832-2bd5-4e6c-b048-b58876e74171_1.2264aa023cc5073df34c34502f099917.jpeg
So I think it's how they roll.
Mine was captive bred actually! My local Walmart doesn’t sell saltwater fish lol, but here’s a normal photo of a mandarin mouth: it has two clear lips, which mine used to have but I’ve only just noticed his missing upper one.
 

Attachments

  • 20A58D60-4068-426C-AC32-10F9694B3A7E.jpeg
    20A58D60-4068-426C-AC32-10F9694B3A7E.jpeg
    186 KB · Views: 50

KrisReef

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
May 15, 2018
Messages
15,227
Reaction score
31,279
Location
ADX Florence
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I’ll try and get a better photo of him if he stops being camera shy
Does he chew tobacco?

I thought he looked the same as the Walmart picture myself. :)

They have that big bottom lip and a thinner upper lip. I think that a good close up will show that his lip was still there.
 
OP
OP
Kyuubi

Kyuubi

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 23, 2021
Messages
158
Reaction score
166
Location
Fontana
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Does he chew tobacco?

I thought he looked the same as the Walmart picture myself. :)

They have that big bottom lip and a thinner upper lip. I think that a good close up will show that his lip was still there.
Haha definitely chewing on copepods (and bits of sand) I tried getting more photos but for the life of me he won’t get closer to the front of the aquarium . Here’s what I got with awful zoom quality.
 

Attachments

  • 19F84039-74AA-41B2-8737-50A4AD7EC6FB.jpeg
    19F84039-74AA-41B2-8737-50A4AD7EC6FB.jpeg
    135 KB · Views: 55
  • 6EA63254-D79C-4F8D-AB20-E907540D6F0B.jpeg
    6EA63254-D79C-4F8D-AB20-E907540D6F0B.jpeg
    153.8 KB · Views: 58
  • 88DF8EC1-F844-432C-979F-6515D19F657D.jpeg
    88DF8EC1-F844-432C-979F-6515D19F657D.jpeg
    141.2 KB · Views: 49
  • E9F5EF74-D85D-4CF7-9674-46490586C94D.jpeg
    E9F5EF74-D85D-4CF7-9674-46490586C94D.jpeg
    157.9 KB · Views: 48
  • FC657E9B-081A-407E-B666-14CAA961A931.jpeg
    FC657E9B-081A-407E-B666-14CAA961A931.jpeg
    136.7 KB · Views: 52

LiamPM

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 9, 2016
Messages
460
Reaction score
584
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Yours definitely looks to be missing its upper lip - Ive never seen this before, not with a mandarin anyway.

If its eating fine and still acting as expected i dont imagine its anything to worry about but in all honesty i wouldnt know.

Have you used any glue within the tank lately or the likes? The most "common" lip damage I usually see is from fish nipping at superglue or the likes but in all honesty this doesnt look like its come from something like that.

May be worth posting those second set of photos in the fish disease part of the forum - See if any experienced eyes can have a look.
 
OP
OP
Kyuubi

Kyuubi

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 23, 2021
Messages
158
Reaction score
166
Location
Fontana
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Yours definitely looks to be missing its upper lip - Ive never seen this before, not with a mandarin anyway.

If its eating fine and still acting as expected i dont imagine its anything to worry about but in all honesty i wouldnt know.

Have you used any glue within the tank lately or the likes? The most "common" lip damage I usually see is from fish nipping at superglue or the likes but in all honesty this doesnt look like its come from something like that.

May be worth posting those second set of photos in the fish disease part of the forum - See if any experienced eyes can have a look.
No new glue or anything like that!! Yeah I thought it was super weird when I noticed it, I’ll post the second set in the desease part to see if something is wrong. At least he is eating well and not loosing weight, but hopefully we can get to the bottom of why he has his messed up mouth.
 

Radman73

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 10, 2016
Messages
1,514
Reaction score
1,715
Location
Winter Garden, FL
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
No new glue or anything like that!! Yeah I thought it was super weird when I noticed it, I’ll post the second set in the desease part to see if something is wrong. At least he is eating well and not loosing weight, but hopefully we can get to the bottom of why he has his messed up mouth.
If he's eating prepared foods, try to soak the food in selcon. I had a yellow watchman goby get a long tear in its lower lip/jaw. It got worse until I started using selcon. It eventually fully healed.
 
Back
Top