could this be a disease?

[LunchBox]

so I was looking in my tank last night before bed and I noticed something unusual in one of my bloodfins. the biggest one looks like it has a big wad of chewing tobacco in it's bottom lip (or maybe he swam into the side of the tank too many times). He is still plenty energetic, still eats like the rest and there is no fin clamping or anything, so I'm wondering if it might just be he has a deformed nose or something. I wanted to check here though before I go writing it off as nothing though. Don't want him to be sick after all.

[OrionGirl]

Discoloration, or just swelling?

[LunchBox]

well, compared to the others I'd say it's a touch pink. just a touch though.

it's like he has popeye jaw or something (you know, the cartoon character ;) )

when I get home from work I'll put some batteries in my digital camera and try to get a picture (bloodfins are hard to get to sit still ;) )

[LunchBox]

needs a /bump.

anyone seen anything like this before?

[OrionGirl]

If it's primarily swelling there are a couple of possibilities, anything from a virus to a bacterial infection, to a tumor. Some fish are prone to tumors, and often, the tumor is not a problem, just ugly.

[LunchBox]

well, since he doesn't really look very sick and just has the weird jaw going on maybe I'll just keep an eye on him for the next little while and see what happens. if he starts clamping fins or something then I'll need to do something but right now it just makes him look a little different from the others.

[LunchBox]

so I got a real good look at the fish today after work and it looks like it is cotton mouth. he has some white strings stuff hanging off his chin. I read that a large water change, turning up the temperature to about 80 degrees and dosing with some salt was a good treatment for it. does anyone know if this will be enough or if ther eis something better I can do for it? I don't want to lose any of my fish and this is the first time I've seen this particular ailment.