Oscar ate a Pleco...problem.

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DFrank0109

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Mar 3, 2009
28
0
31
Danbury, CT
So I looked in my tank this morning to see that my albino oscar (5-6in) had eaten a smaller (maybe 2in) pleco, he had its tail sticking out of his mouth. I thought GREAT, there's $3 down the drain but no big deal. So I came back from work to find that the oscar has apparently finished eating (or spit him out) and his mouth is WIDE open:irked: It looks like he broke his own jaw or something. The bottom of the mouth comes to a point as if there is some sort of fracture and he appears to be breathing slightly heavier than normal (not gasping for air). What can I do!? Is this something that will heal over time or is it just going to kill him?

Any useful advice is much appreciated!
 
Plecos have spines on the side of their heads. Its possible for him to have gotten them lodged into his jaw.
 
Midas Madness;2938091; said:
Plecos have spines on the side of their heads. Its possible for him to have gotten them lodged into his jaw.
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i agrre u should of tooken the pleco out of your oscars mouth. there is a chance your oscar might die, he might have gotten something stuck in his throat
 
in hindsight, you're probably right. :(

I can't see anything in his throat but something small could be stuck...I guess I have to wait it out and see.

Any one else have any ideas?
 
if the oscar ate the fish head first, he should be pretty safe. I an oscar swallows a fish to big to immediatly go down, the teeth in the back of its throat grind up the fishes head and it eventually gets down. If this were the case the pleco would have died before being swallowed, and the locked fins would not stay locked while going down, so i dont see how it would get stuck in his throat as for when it gets swallowed the fins would fold back. Often times, when fish eat very large meals, they will gape and breath heavily. Please post up a pic so we can see if it is normal or if something really is wrong.
 
My guess is it will heal over time. It looks like its just dislocated and will slip back in in a couple days.

And if it doesnt fix it self in a week or so, i would take him out of the water and just try and pop it back into joint myself, or he will most likely die.

I am no expert, so take my advice at your own risk, haha.
 
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