Motor Mouth Neon Tetra

[Kookie]

LOL i don't know how else to describe it.

I'm not sure there is anything actually wrong with it, as it seems happy enough. Eating, playing tag with the other neons, colors are good.

I do regular water changes. Tend to have a low pH because of the driftwood in the tank.

It also seems to be quite protective of the spot of water it sits in. Semi chasing the others away.

So the only thing it is doing different is the motor mouth thing. Opening and closing its mouth at a great rate of knots. None of the others are doing it.

Has anyone else seen this before? Is my neon sick or just special?

[Caper]

I haven't seen my neons doing it! :-?

[Faran]

Could be a gill parasite (such as gill flukes) which could be preventing the neon from getting oxygen from the water (a bit like hyperventilating). Then again, gills are pretty sensitive and can be easily damaged from ammonia or any other of a number of variables.

Rather than taking my above observation and running out to the store and buying every gill fluke med known to the LFS, try quarantining the neon and see how it does.

On a last note, neons are usually poorly made (genetically) due to inbreeding and it could just be coming across one of the many afflictions that plague them. I'm not sure if you've noticed this, but there aren't many adult neons that look stellar due to this...

[Kookie]

Thanks Blue.

I didn't know that about neons. Will keep an eye on him and if he seems to get worse I will flush him.

Sorry to the sensitive fish keepers. It's the easiest solution all round.

I'm not keen on putting excess crap into the tank.