# Help - something stuck in his mouth?



## darkfalz (May 7, 2006)

My rescue cichlid was doing great, but now he's got something very wrong with him. He's not coming out from behind his rock, and the area below his mouth is sticking out (under side of his mouth/gill area). I think he may have tried to eat one of the pebbles and it's stuck in there (I suppose this is why you normally use sand?). He's been like that for more than two days now.

Is there anything I can do for him? Could it be some weird disease?


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

If it is a pebble you can try to get it out. At least pick him up and look in his mouth and see.


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## shade2dope (Jan 21, 2007)

If in any case it is stuck in there I would get him in the fish net and grab him through that.Keep him uder the water part way not to hurt him.You basicly how you would strip a mouthbredding fish.I have had this hapeen to me to.Its was that hard to get it out anf hes doing just fine now.


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## darkfalz (May 7, 2006)

I don't know how I can do that, he's scared and small and my fingers are big, I can't exactly just pick him up and calmy look in his mouth.


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## darkfalz (May 7, 2006)

Now I really feel bad. I picked "him" up - there was something in his mouth, looks like eggs.. like plump, wet seasame seeds. About 10 of them. I took them out... did I do a bad thing? Will (s)he ever trust me again? Seems to be looking for them, or otherwise just freaking out (that portion of her lower mouth is still jutting out a bit though). She hasn't been in contact with another fish for more than a month, where did the eggs come from and why were they in her mouth? Could it have been something else?


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## darkfalz (May 7, 2006)

I suppose she is an "ovophile mouthbrooder" but why was she holding onto unfertilized eggs... either way I feel really bad now. I hope I didn't hurt the poor thing. I have done some Googling and the eggs are feritilised by the "dummy egg" method - what in the heck is this? Every page just mentions it matter-of-factly with no description.


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## SueM (Jan 23, 2004)

Some species of male cichlids have spots on the anal fin (egg spots) after the female has layed her eggs and gathered them in her mouth. The male lays his fin sideways showing the egg spots, the females tries to pick those up too. That is when he fertilizes the eggs in her mouth. 
http://www.zen12048.zen.co.uk/breeding.html


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

If she wasn't near a male, and she was holding unfertilized eggs, you did her a favor stripping them. Brooding females can go 4 weeks without eating and in that time those eggs would have been culture media for any number of nasties (fungus, bacteria, etc.).


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## darkfalz (May 7, 2006)

Will she lay more and do it again... she is still hiding and not eating. I probably didn't get them all out.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I've never seen a mouthbrooder carry unfertilized eggs, only seen substrate-spawners guard them. Did the eggs you took out look clear, or were they opaque and fuzzy. Don't feed if she won't eat, offer food every week and remove it if she won't take it.


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## darkfalz (May 7, 2006)

They looked as I said like wet, plump sesame seeds. Same colour.


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## Laura Ann (May 3, 2006)

darkfalz said:


> Now I really feel bad. I picked "him" up - there was something in his mouth, looks like eggs.. like plump, wet seasame seeds. About 10 of them. I took them out... did I do a bad thing? Will (s)he ever trust me again? Seems to be looking for them, or otherwise just freaking out (that portion of her lower mouth is still jutting out a bit though). She hasn't been in contact with another fish for more than a month, where did the eggs come from and why were they in her mouth? Could it have been something else?


I'll bet they were just unfertilized eggs. Which reminds me of something else, I will mention that in a second. 

Anywho, she will forgive you, and she will trust you again. You are the "Food God" and cichlids love their food Gods  Taking them out wasn't a bad thing at all. I strip females on a weekly basis, and they never hold it against me 

Now onto my other point... this fish was badly beaten, correct? 

If so, then she may have been beat because she wasn't holding for her males. I have a female now that got the snot beat out of her, because she wasn't "pulling her weight" (that is how it was eplained to me anyway). So maybe, just maybe she wasn't ready to brood yet, and a male decided she was waiting too long


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## darkfalz (May 7, 2006)

Every fish in that tank got bashed, but she was really in shreds when I took her home. Once the other cichlids were removed, he started on the tiger barbs and even the poor pleco. But he's out now, I've got him in a tank ready to go back to the fish store (pictured - plucky and impressive guy but can't forgive him for all the killing). Still deciding whether or not my rescue fishy is going back too. She still spends most of her time hiding behind her rock, she's dug a hole in the gravel there... before the eggs incident she was coming to the front much more to say hello and beg for food. But she's at least eating again now, not hanging on to any more eggs.


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