Gill curl help please

[rumblesushi]

I recently got a Parachromis Friedrichsthali, and he arrived with gill curl one on one side. His left gill.

It doesn't look too bad, slight curl but not enough to see inside the gills etc.

Other than that he seems very healthy. He's active, he's healthy, he looks good, his eyes are bright.

He's 5 inches in a 180 with very good filtration and a UV sterilizer, with a little salt added to the water.

Because this is mild and on one side, will it heal naturally with good water, good diet etc?

I would not be able to get any anaesthetic and stuff to knock him out here and chop the gill, so I'm really hoping it can just heal naturally.

 

[USMCtanker]

i know someone can help bump

 

[redtailfool]

id just leave it as it is for now and just keep up with the water quality . It might heal up depending on how severe it is.

 

[rumblesushi]

Thanks RTF - it doesn't look too severe, I've seen MUCH worse in stores, on a TSN and some other cichlid.

He's in a big enough tank with good filtration, he looks happy and healthy, eats a lot - so I'm hoping it'll heal up.

Other than good water quality is there anything else you can do to help gill curl heal?

 

[dimfer]

I would cut down on salt for now.. add aeration

 

[rumblesushi]

the airation is plentiful. 5 filters including a fast powerhead. Lots of surface turbulance and water flow. Why cut down on salt though? Is it detrimental to gill curl?

 

[rumblesushi]

OK I'm not quite sure if it's getting better or worse. There's no sign of the outer gill plate curling at all, yet the thin inner gill bit seems to be sticking out and curling more.

He's still very healthy and hungry and active. He looks in fine shape.

The way it's protruding more, it kind of looks loose and floppy, almost like it's going to deteriorate and grow back. Is this possible?

Should I wait I should I think about sedating him and snipping it off?

Thanks.

 

[USMCtanker]

what happens if u dont snip it off

 

[DeLgAdO]

what happens if u dont snip it off

if the water quality issue is corrected (and depending how severe it is) it will either reutrn to normal (minor ) or stay folded (bad)

 

[rumblesushi]

the water is perfect, no AM/NI and minimal nitrates.

Gets fed a varied diet, regular water changes etc. He looks good, nice markings and very active.

I'm just not sure whether this extra flimsy curling is healing or getting worse?