Swollen lips on my Melanurus Wrasse

[Derbird]

Hello Everyone.

I came home from work tonigh and found that my Melanurus Wrasse (Halichoeres Melanurus)had swollen lips. When I left for work this morning every fish / invert / coral seemed normal.

He is still eating (like a pig) and pecking at the live rock as he always has done.

Here are some horrible cell phone pic's

My fist thought was he stuck his noise in to a coral or nem to steal there breakfast. I do have some LPS corals and a Condy Anemone (Condylactis Gigantea) so getting stung seems reasonable. I though I would ask both here and on the PNWMAS just to be sure. I want the best for my critters.

All comments or ideas are welcome :help:

 

[mcoomer]

Bar fight! These fish are notorious for sneaking out for a late night drink and they don't hold their liquor very well. Probably got a little tipsy, said something cocky to some girl, and got punched in the face by her boyfriend. You should probably check that your car keys are where you left them and that he didn't run you out of gas. Fish never have money to pay for the gas they burn on their little joy rides to the bar.

If that's not it, then I'd go with your first guess.

Mike

 

[fall0n]

Hahahahahahahaha, nice mcoomer! Lol. Poor fish, hopefully it goes away.

 

[Derbird]

Bar fight! These fish are notorious for sneaking out for a late night drink and they don't hold their liquor very well. Probably got a little tipsy, said something cocky to some girl, and got punched in the face by her boyfriend. You should probably check that your car keys are where you left them and that he didn't run you out of gas. Fish never have money to pay for the gas they burn on their little joy rides to the bar.

If that's not it, then I'd go with your first guess.

Mike

:heh: Darn fish never topping off the tank. I see you have experience with wrasses :lol:

 

[justforfun]

could be bristle worm sting*** tried a nice new snack and didnt take well*** ouch

 

[leebca]

Any number of possibilities, but I'd go with a benthic creature run-in (such as a bristleworm). In any event, I'd treat it as an injury. Watch it closely, should it become infected. It should return to normal in a few days, providing the fish is being properly nourished.

 

[Derbird]

Any number of possibilities, but I'd go with a benthic creature run-in (such as a bristleworm). In any event, I'd treat it as an injury. Watch it closely, should it become infected. It should return to normal in a few days, providing the fish is being properly nourished.

Kinda my thought but I had to be sure. He is very well fed. He gets mysis, enriched brine, pellets of shrimp and spiralina, and he takes a good share of the tangs seaweed.

Thank you for your response.

 

[leebca]

I'd put the enriched brine and pellet foods onto the low end of the nutritional scale and mysis about midway. Consider expanding its diet to better foods. See: http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/f15/feeding-marine-fish-fish-nutrition-rev-1-a-27014/ and also: http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/f15/different-forms-marine-fish-foods-30026/