[TimH07]

im not sure what this is, i dont have a picture at the moment, but my percula clownfish has what "simply" looks like a busted lip, his lip is swollen on the right side, it seemingly came from no where. he wont close his mouth, i wouldnt either.

are there any ailments that cause such a symptom? or is it possible he just made a wrong turn into a rock or a crab snapped at him.

again, its his bottom lip, right side, swollen lump the size of the ball in a ball pen. kinda near the corner like a cold sore causing him to keep his mouth open, he looks fine other than that, and even eats. (closes it long enough to eat)

[Ninong]

Hard to say without a photo but it might be lymphocystis. I'll move your thread to Lee's forum.

[TimH07]

is it possible he nipped at an aiptiasia? ive got a few i need to get rid of but are in hard to reach areas.

i'll keep looking for answers

[leebca]

What you have described, I have been getting reports of quite often. I have not been able to get such a fish for proper (lab) inspection. However, the scenario is similar to a fish that has perhaps been injured and a bacterial infection has been allowed to develop. How it was injured (rock, tank mate, anemone, coral, etc.) or even if it wasn't injured, is not totally important. What is important is dealing with the possible secondary infection.

Like humans, the fish inflammatory response takes over and walls off the infection. Much like a human pimple.

So far, this is about the most likely scenario, however not the only one. Unfortunately fish have died when the area ruptures. In others, it just goes away by the normal course. I presume, if it ruptures, it releases the walled-off toxins into the system and the large dose overcomes the fish's defenses. You can see the size ratio of the area to that of the total surface area of the fish. It would be like a human has a pimple the size of a softball.

I would place the fish into a hospital tank and treat with a dual antibiotic -- one for Gram Positive and one for Gram Negative bacteria. Maracyn One and Maracyn Two would be my choice. Use the med that is for Saltwater fishes, but the ones for freshwater will be okay too. Two water changes a day may be needed since a biological filter most likely won't survive the treatment.

Hopefully you will do the above before the area on the fish ruptures and thus giving the condition a chance to reverse itself.

Use Maracyn One according to the directions on the medication package/insert. For Maracyn Two, double the dose recommended on the medication package/insert.

Since the fish is still eating, make sure to provide it with the best and proper nutrition AND immune boosters: Fish Immune Boosters The fish will need all the help it can get in controlling this situation.

Good luck!

[TimH07]

thank you for your replay leebca, thankfully this morning the fish looks just fine, no injured lip, nothing, fast recovery! im keeping my eye on him now but as of now, his mouth is closed, no lump, no discoloration, happy fish, eating dinner