What’s wrong with my Melanarus

[USMA36]

I’ve had this Melanarus for 5ish years. Over the 6 months or so he’s looked like this. He eats normally and is very active. Besides his body he never seems to fully close his mouth.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I’ve had this Melanarus for 5ish years. Over the 6 months or so he’s looked like this. He eats normally and is very active. Besides his body he never seems to fully close his mouth.

If youre keeping this guy this fat, may be added respirations to digest food. Not lockjaw and I dont suspect gill flukes or irritant

 

[ReefGeezer]

Mine does exactly that when he over eats. He's so fast that he gets a lot of food before some of the slower fish get enough.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I’ve had this Melanarus for 5ish years. Over the 6 months or so he’s looked like this. He eats normally and is very active. Besides his body he never seems to fully close his mouth.

That can be a couple of things, no way to tell though. It could be fluid buildup, ascites, from liver failure. It can also be that he is a she and it is egg bound.
The open mouth is secondary to one of those two systemic problems. Neither of those issues are treatable, so hope I’m wrong. You could try not feeding it for a couple of days to see if it slims down, but it is unlikely to be this swollen from just over eating.
Jay

 

[SaltyT]

It's definitely a terminal-phase male so it's not egg bound... sorry OP the outlook doesn't look good

 

[USMA36]

He’s looked like this for at least 6 months. Wish there was something I could do.