mouth stuck open

18 years ago

Hey guys, new to this area of gardenweb, i never noticed it before.

I've been breeding bettas and over the past 5 months i've had 2 spawns that im watching closely. the majority of the fish are around 3/4" HOWEVER 7 fish out of ~40 are a lot smaller than the others. They arent any bigger than week old guppies AND their mouths are stuck open.

I thought at first (yesterday when i noticed) it may be a birth defect as i only noticed 2 fish with this problem. Curiosity got the best of me and i went on a witch hunt only to find 5 more with the same problem between 2 separate tanks. * in case its important these 2 spawns share a mother but not a father.

Has anyone seen this before? I have separated the little guys out and am deciding what i should do about them. Is it something that may correct itself? They don't seem to have problems eating, they literally inhale the baby food flakes ive started feeding them...

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Comments (10)

woeisme
18 years ago
Maybe they are hungary? not sure no experience. Check the link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Betta Fry
skygee
18 years ago
I don't have any experience with betta fry - but I'd be more worried about the lack of growth. If the others are outgrowing them at a steady pace, most likely something else going on with these babies? Wouldn't be surprised if in the end they don't survive.
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woeisme
18 years ago
Thats part of what the article adressed, difference of size, not uncommon w/betta fry. Mouth open???? I would guess they aren't getting food BC the larger ones or just cant eat??? Just a guess, thats the first thing that came to mind. Kind of like a baby bird waiting to eat. And thats before re-reading the articles refference to the canaries LOL.
Sarah_Bella
Original Author
18 years ago
What a great article. thanx for posting it. Like i mentioned previously, these guys have no problems eating. They literally just inhale food.
I think i have it figured out tho. Bloodworms. I started feeding these to my fry a week or so ago. too big maybe for the little guys and caused injury?? Time will tell i suppose. I have them separated out and my boy has built them into his lego city lol, too cute. I will keep my eye on them and post back with any new findings :)
woeisme
18 years ago
One more thought, I remember reading something about fish having difficulty breathing will sometimes open their mouths. I may be totally wrong, and confusing 2 diferent things. Is there anything that can prevent them rom surfacing? strong filter flow, some type of surface agitation etc.
Sarah_Bella
Original Author
18 years ago
thanx for your thoughts woe :) the mouths are actuallly stuck in the open position. they have no trouble breathing or getting to the top. I ended up putting them in with the large fry and i believe mother nature is taking care of them one by one... i dont want to sound cold, but really i should have fed them less in the beginning and allowed the smaller ones to perish on their own instead of being their life support system with the 5-6 times/day feedings ;)
gemstoneminpins
18 years ago
got a site for you. www.bettatalk.com
this site is awesome and i believe she has an article on this condition. its a type of disease if i'm not mistaken not a deformity. correct me if i'm wrong. congrats on a succesful spawn.
Bri
Sarah_Bella
Original Author
18 years ago
Hi Bri :)

Thanx for the site. I went thru the site and i couldnt find any info on my particular problem tho :( a very good site tho, thanx :)
sierra_z2b
18 years ago
sarah_bella...the mouth being stuck open is a genetic defect....and yes its best to remove them. You will want to produce only the best and healthiest fry you can. After acquiring your breeding stock.....its sometimes best to keep your best fry from the original stock....to grow out...choosing them for form, shape and health. If you develop a good line...you should have less and less fish deformaties and problems....although you most likely will still get a few.

Sierra
Sarah_Bella
Original Author
18 years ago
thanx sierra :) i had never seen this before. i couldnt cull the babies per se, but i had no qualms about putting them in with the bigger fish. Slowly mother nature is culling them. As the bigger fish get bigger, the population of small fish gets smaller. I can say that i dont plan on breeding anymore bettas for a very long time, it has been a PITA... i despise microworms now lol Next time i breed anything they will have to be mature in less than 6 months... My apistogramma panduro pair seem to be i a lovin kind of mood these days, i wouldnt be surprised to see fry in a week or so..

Thank you for letting me know its a genetic defect and not my fault for feeding them food that was too big.

mouth stuck open

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mouth stuck open

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