Angel with swollen mouth and gills - advice please!

[Slinky_Bass]

This morning I noticed something wrong with my female Angel. Her mouth is permanently open (but not gasping), it looks swollen and almost dislocated (pushed to the one side) with a small whiteish patch about 2mm in length along her bottom lip (doesn't look like fungus at all though), there is no visible obstruction in the mouth or throat.

Her gills are puffed out and swollen, though no sign of parasites, discolouration or tearing. Her gill movement is slightly more rapid than usual. She is swimming around as normal, colour good, appetite good, poo looks normal and the temp of the tank and water paramenters have been stable. All three of the angels have been fighting a lot lately, could this be an injury or something else? I must admit that in all my years of keeping angels I've never seen this sort of injury (if it is indeed that). Any advice would be much appreciated, if it needs to be treated I want to do so as soon as possible.

[Slinky_Bass]

Ahem *clears throat*, anyone, guys?

*a lonely tumbleweed rolls through the forum, wind whistles through the deserted thread*

I know it's a tough one , but anything would really be appreciated, a similar experience/ ideas on how to treat one of the two symptoms/ soothing words of comfort to a near frantic fishmom :/

[blue fin]

Sorry, I hear ya and sympothize but I know less than you about angels....and maybe all my other fish for that matter.....good luck tho

[AquaQueen]

I have no luck with Angels. So Sorry I can not help either...Hobbs is the Angel Queen of AC (at least in my eyes) so maybe she might have an idea on what the problem might be, or how to treat it if it is truely a battle wound. I do know if you can snap a picture or two to show the problem that would help alot. Good luck from one "fishie Mom" to another I hope you figure this one out.

[Lady Hobbs]

The white sounds like fungus to me. I have no other explanation without a picture. She could have been biten by one of the others and an infection set in, as well. Hummm.....sorry. Not much help. Can you put her somewhere alone and treat her with Metafix?

[Lady Hobbs]

Hobbs is the Angel Queen of AC

Why is that? Because mine are still alive. LOL

[blue fin]

lol!

I think there's more to it than just that.....

[AquaQueen]

Hobbs is the Angel Queen of AC

Why is that? Because mine are still alive. LOL


Hey I still have one...lol..but that is not the only survivor we have had the first Angel I ever bought was with us for three years and we have had no luck since...and I just think you have beautiful Angels and are doing great with them seeing how you helped "your million dollar man" as well as you did I thought you must know a thing or two about them...I do pay attention...lol

[Lady Hobbs]

Somehow in the past 3 months, angels have grown to be my favorite. It's the rushing up to see me whenever I walk near the tank maybe but I think they are pretty awesome. Bala Sharks, gourami's, Mollies, guppies and a bunch of others have gone by the way-side some time ago and it looks like the angels have taken over my heart. LOL

[Slinky_Bass]

Somehow in the past 3 months, angels have grown to be my favorite. It's the rushing up to see me whenever I walk near the tank maybe but I think they are pretty awesome. Bala Sharks, gourami's, Mollies, guppies and a bunch of others have gone by the way-side some time ago and it looks like the angels have taken over my heart. LOL
It's been exactly the same for me, they drive me nuts sometimes with their bickering, mating fights and the way they will go to extrodinary lengths to eat all the food at feeding time (my female tried to wedge herself horizontally under the bodwood to get at the tablets I drop down for the loaches and Arnie). But nonetheless, they have definitely won me over with their constant enthusiasm to see me when I walk near the tank, their utter fearlesness of me or anything else (they always peck at my beauty spots when I stick my arm in the tank) and their curiosity at everything that happens in the tank.

Thank you everyone for your good luck wishes, I'll try get my hands on a digital so I can get some pics. Other than that, I think it may very well be a fighting injury, her mouth and gills do not look any more swollen and she's still swimming, eating, looking normal. I think I need to be patient about this one, and leave her unless I see her getting worse.

Hobbs: what kind of med is metafix? and what is the main active ingredient?

[Lady Hobbs]

The mouth injury I can understand but the swollen gills bother me. This I have no explanation for.

[Slinky_Bass]

Yeah, it's the gills that have me worried too. About the only thing it could be (according to my research on the net) is some kind of fluke, but that wouldn't explain the open, skew, swollen mouth.

Unless, because the mouth is open and damaged that somehow automatically makes her gills puff out all the time? Her gill movement isn't rapid and they look perfectly healthy so I'll just have to wait and see. I hate treating my fish unneccessarily.

[Lady Hobbs]

There's nothing to say he couldn't have a damaged mouth and flukes.

[Nautilus291]

I wish you the best of luck with your angel.

[Slinky_Bass]

Thanks Adam :) Today I'm sure she's looking a bit better, her mouth is more closed and her gills are looking almost normal. I think I may have freaked out a bit too much and a bit too soon on this one *embarrased*

[blue fin]

it's better to jump too quickly on an infection than to jump too late...I don't know if I caught the infection quick enough and he's still quarantined from the community, I'm hopefull that he will recover.

[Elena]

HELP!!! Hello. I noticed you made a post about an angel with swollen gills. I have the same problem! I have a large female angel, who was as happy as larry yesterday, laying eggs all over the place, and this morning she has swollen gills. She has been separated from other angels in the tank for some while because she is quite aggressive, but when I saw she was laying yesterday, allowed her out for a while in a vain attempt to get one of the males to fertilise her eggs. She was getting at them, but they did not attack her back. She is again separate from the others but her mouth stays wide open and her fins are swollen and pinkish. Any ideas?! Should I rush out for treatment?!