Mandarin missing top lip?

[Kyuubi]

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.

 

[KrisReef]

Looks like the ones they sell at Walmart?

So I think it's how they roll.

 

[Kyuubi]

Looks like the ones they sell at Walmart? View attachment 2466051 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.

 

[Kyuubi]

I’ll try and get a better photo of him if he stops being camera shy

 

[KrisReef]

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.

 

[((FORDTECH))]

Looks like the ones they sell at Walmart? View attachment 2466051 So I think it's how they roll.

Walmart sells saltwater fish ? What state is this ?

 

[KrisReef]

Robot or human?

www.walmart.com

 

[Kyuubi]

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.

 

[LiamPM]

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.

 

[Kyuubi]

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]

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.