Clownfish motuh wide open

[mtm6042]

Hello all im new to this website and fairly new to the hobby i started about a year ago but anyways.

I have two clownfish and i think there paired but the female's (bigger one of the two) mouth is wide open and stays open and i dont know why they both have been in there about a month and have been fine untill two days ago has anyone else hade this problem? If so how did you fix it?

29 Biocube
1 Yellow Tang
2 Clownfish (ocillaris)
1 Diamond Goby
1 Cleaner Shrimp
1Turbo Snail
Cleaner Crew
25lbs Live Rock
20lbs Live Sand (Aragonite)


All levels are normal
Nitrates are a little high (20ppm) but im working on that with 25% water changes daily untill it comes down.

[mtm6042]

Here are some images in hope it will help.

[mtm6042]

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/j...3/103_0227.jpg

103_0246.jpg picture by mtm2133 - Photobucket

[leebca]

is the mouth in a permanent open state or does the fish just keep it open most of the time?

If the jaw is 'locked open' that is something else: The condition is known as jaw hyperextension, it is most common in fishes that feed on aufwuchs (algal turfs and their associated microfauna), and is caused by the locking of a bone called the urohyal into the cleithra, it may be easily resolved without damage by anesthetizing the fish with MS-222 and using a fine, blunt tipped probe to gently depress the urohyal from the INSIDE of the jaw, this "unlocks" the jaw. If the jaw is pushed back from the outside one or both of the cleithra may fracture, resulting in a possibly life-long deformation.

Not something I recommend the casual hobbyist do/perform. It takes some knowledge of fish anatomy. Anemonefishes are a bit more prone to this condition that other marine fishes.

[mtm6042]

Its almost as if his mouth is on a spring, he will try and move it a little and does a tiny tiny bit but it come back open.

[leebca]

If the fish is eating, I wouldn't worry. If the jaw is such that the fish isn't eating anything, then it may be the lockjaw or some other condition.

[mtm6042]

I think he might have some body fungus because his color looks blury and has tiny white patches around his mouth so ive seperated him and started treating him for fungal infctions.

Hes not eating so i am getting worried hopfully he will get his appitite back tomarrow