Melanurus Wrasse acting strange

lel · Sep 16, 2023

I have had a melanurus wrasse for almost a year now and I just moved my tank to a new location. The rest of the fish seem fine but my wrasse has its mouth open constantly and I haven't seen it eat. Does this sound like an issue?

Jay Hemdal · Sep 16, 2023

lel said:
I have had a melanurus wrasse for almost a year now and I just moved my tank to a new location. The rest of the fish seem fine but my wrasse has its mouth open constantly and I haven't seen it eat. Does this sound like an issue?

Yes, if the change took place during the tank move, it sounds like your wrasse may have damaged its mouth by hitting something. Any time a fish stops eating, the clock begins ticking....if it doesn't resolve in time, the fish will starve.

Can you post a picture of the wrasse?

Jay

lel · Sep 16, 2023

Here's a picture of my wrasse.

Jay Hemdal · Sep 16, 2023

lel said:
Here's a picture of my wrasse.

Tough to see in those pics, but I cant rule out physical damage. If that's the case, you really cannot do anything for it other than to hope it heals and starts eating again.

Jay

lel · Sep 16, 2023

Well, if it doesn't survive thanks for the help anyway.

lel · Sep 17, 2023

I just fed my aquarium and I saw the wrasse eat. It still swims with its mouth open but it can move its lower jaw. Maybe the damage isn't that bad.

ALittleFishy · Sep 17, 2023

I've had a melanarus Wrasse for the last 6 months or so and every once in a while I noticed that same behavior. Honestly I thought he was dying because he would sit on the bottom with his mouth open and not do a whole lot. I've come to see that for mine this is fairly typical behavior. He doesn't do it all the time but certainly knows how to take a rest. I would say as long as your fish is eating and not showing signs of stress or disease you should be okay