Clownfish with big fat lips?

[foundnemo11]

I bought a tiny clownfish about a month ago and i noticed he had bery big lips they dont seemto change at al since i got him. Im wondering if its something to worry about. They are large and white looks like bubba from forest gump. My concern is that they are kind of looking cottony now or mishaped. What could this be and what should i do THanks

 

[D-Nak]

Sounds like a defect. I'm guessing it was a CB clown? Breeders would usually cull these clowns if the attribute was visible prior to selling. However, your description of "cottony" could also mean some sort of fungal infection. I'm not good with medications -- maybe you can look into something like Furan or Erythromycin? Photos would help to ID the problem, and then others who have treated with meds might be able to assist you in determining the proper course of action.

 

[foundnemo11]

Ok yeah i tried taking pics but fish are always moving its hard to get a good one

 

[k.tran]

+1 all the captive breeders need to do REAL culls and get rid of all the deformed clownfish that are on the market right now which is a large amount of clownfish IMO 90%. Just my 2¢

 

[foundnemo11]

Ok well i just want to make sure he'll Be fine

 

[velvetelvis]

+1 all the captive breeders need to do REAL culls and get rid of all the deformed clownfish that are on the market right now which is a large amount of clownfish IMO 90%. Just my 2¢

I think 90% is a little high. If you leave out the designer morphs that have started to dominate the market, and look at the wild-morph CB clowns, there are plenty of beautiful, well-bred fish available.

 

[D-Nak]

Ok well i just want to make sure he'll Be fine

Sorry, not sure if he'll be fine or not since it's hard to determine if it's a defect or an ailment. Any photo might help. Just tell your clown to stay still for 2 seconds so you can take the shot. ;-)

 

[D-Nak]

Also, I assume it's eating normally? In other words, the big lips don't get in the way of it eating? If you've had it for a month, I'm guessing it's eating just fine, which leads me to think it could be a birth defect and will either continue to grow, and will in turn effect its ability to eat, which then means death, or it will stop growing and the fish will live a normal life (unless the other fish make fun of him).