something coming out of the gill...

[RyanH]

One of my Cobalt juveniles has something coming out of his gill. It looks like a piece of hair. He seems to be breathing heavy also but that might be because he ate alot today. Does anybody have any ideas as to what it might be? What do gill flukes look like?

thanks ahead of time!
-Ryan

[Tkuemmet]

could it actually be a piece of hair?

i remember earlier this year by some freak of nature i had an angelfish that was caught in a "single hair tangle" of mine that must have fallen in the tank and wrapped the poor thing round the fins once. It didnt seem distressed, but it sure freaked me out!

[RyanH]

yeah, its certainly possible. My wife has very long hair (like to the middle of her back) and it sometimes finds its way into my tanks. If it is hair and its caught in this fishes gill, I think that might be cause for concern...