Swollen Mouth

[Fish'InMN]

Hey everyone it's Charlie. Today I saw the my female percs mouth was swollen and that she couldn't or wouldn't close it. She still took food today but it was obviously tougher for her to do so. Her and her mate have been hosting a very big branching hammer and today I saw her sucking on one of the tentacles of the hammer. When they started hosting the hammer their skin was obviously affected by the sting of the hammer, and I'm wondering a) if her swollen mouth can be contributed to her sucking on the tentacles (ive seen her do it several times so it is obviously happeneing more than just once) and b) why she is doing this. I really hope her mouth is just getting stung and it is not a infection/disease. She is acting completely normal besides sucking on the hammer's tentacles. Thanks for all your help everyone.

 

[Mr Stomato]

It is natural for clowns suck on tentacles of nems. It is thought of as stimulus for the nem and for strengthening the clowns immunity to the sting, but that is just biological theory, but it does make sense.

I do feel that your clown is feeling the negative effects of your hammer. Most illnesses with clowns affect the entire body or eyes although my clowns on occasion get the white fluffy fungus on the mouth from time to time. During my research of clown illnesses I don't recall coming accross anything that was just localized to the mouth. It's natural for a clown to stimulate nem tentacles it isn't natural for them to do this to corals. Maybe your clowns are due for an anemone or an other alternate host.

 

[cwk132]

Hey I posted on my older brothers account but just got my own earlier today. I'm sure my brother and I would both love an anemone but were still a little worried about it dying or wandering and killing other corals. We have enough light (250W Halide on a 40 Breeder with dual Actinics) for it and the tank is finally getting a little older and more stable so maybe someday we will someday get an anemone for them. What kind of anemone is the natural host for True Perculas? And are they easy to care for anemone wise and are they known for wandering around the tank?

 

[cwk132]

i know the BTAs and LTAs are not hosts to true percs in the wild but there is a chance that the will host one in captivity correct? because they dont host hammer corals in the wild so there is a chance right? also are there any anemones that stay on the smaller size that can be safely hosted by true percs?