Watchman Goby - Broken Jaw

Japtastic · Jul 21, 2019

Got this fish around 5 weeks ago for my sons tank. The day after we got him we realised that his mouth looked sore and a little red. Monitored for a few days and it was getting worse and the mouth was being eaten away by an infection so we pulled him out to QT and medicated with Kanaplex and Furan-2. It took a couple more days before the erosion to his mouth stopped and by now it was in a bad way with the lower jaw bone fully visable.

Luckily the meds started to work and saved his life. He spent another week in QT and ate well. His is now back in the main tank and has been eating well but his broken bottom jaw worries me. The piece of bone is completely broken and in two pieces as you can see.

Is there anything more we can do for him? It almost feels like he needs something to keep those two pieces of bone together so the flesh can form around it properly. The flesh has grown back a fair bit already form what it did look like.

My concern is that the flesh will continue to recover but will end up really deformed and stopping him eating properly.

Any advice welcome. Cheers.

Old Fritz · Jul 21, 2019

Sadly I don't think there is much you can really do. If he is eating that is always a good sign so there is hope that it'll heal well enough to let him continue to eat

Japtastic · Jul 23, 2019

Thanks for the reply. Sadly he passed. No idea why as apart from the obvious injury he was eating and acting normal

bluprntguy · Jul 23, 2019

Japtastic said:
Thanks for the reply. Sadly he passed. No idea why as apart from the obvious injury he was eating and acting normal

Sorry to hear. It sounds like you did as much as you could for him.

Mastiffsrule · Jul 23, 2019

Sorry for the loss.

Japtastic · Jul 23, 2019

I really did try. Always sad when you lose one.

Nathan Milender · Jul 23, 2019

Japtastic said:
Got this fish around 5 weeks ago for my sons tank. The day after we got him we realised that his mouth looked sore and a little red. Monitored for a few days and it was getting worse and the mouth was being eaten away by an infection so we pulled him out to QT and medicated with Kanaplex and Furan-2. It took a couple more days before the erosion to his mouth stopped and by now it was in a bad way with the lower jaw bone fully visable.

Luckily the meds started to work and saved his life. He spent another week in QT and ate well. His is now back in the main tank and has been eating well but his broken bottom jaw worries me. The piece of bone is completely broken and in two pieces as you can see.

Is there anything more we can do for him? It almost feels like he needs something to keep those two pieces of bone together so the flesh can form around it properly. The flesh has grown back a fair bit already form what it did look like.

My concern is that the flesh will continue to recover but will end up really deformed and stopping him eating properly.

Any advice welcome. Cheers.

Only thing I can think of is splinting his jaw so the bone could. I have no idea how to get that done on a fish. At least you have a QT and attempted treatment. Don't give up on watchman's they are fun fish.