only one side of the gills move

[tjnelson44]

Hello, I was looking at my female fresa today and noticed that only one side of gills would flare out when she would breath. The operculum on one side remains motionless while the other side seems to flare out a little more than it should. Other than that, all appears well. She is very active, eats good, is yellow, and displays for the male. The water quality is good. No ammonia or nitrite, ph 5.8, TDS 37, and they get weekly water changes. The male appears to be just fine. What do you think could cause this and do you think it is a serious problem?
Thanks in advance,
Trevor

 

[tjudy]

8O Weird... has it always been this way? Have you noticed both sides moving before?

 

[tjnelson44]

Ted, its very hard to get a good look at her because she is so skittish so there is the possibility that it has always been like this and I have not noticed it before. Today I just happened to be sitting still in front of my tanks for a long time and she came out and gave me a good look. I wonder if she may have sustained some sort of injury during a scuffle with the male.

 

[tjnelson44]

Yesterday I moved some of my tanks to the house I am moving into. When I scooped up the female fresa I got a good look at the side of the gills that doesn't move. It appears that the gill cover is just really deformed. It looks caved in. I guess that solves my little mystery.
Trevor