Red Velvet Fairy Wrasse Breathing Heavy

[FishyReef]

My RVFW looks like he's gasping for air - gills flaring and opening his mouth really wide when he breathes. He's not breathing fast, but just looks like he's gasping. Water is well oxygenated, no changes to the tank, everyone else is perfectly normal. No bullying (he's the bully); no signs of disease; water parameters are stable. I just fed them a nori sheet - any chance he swallowed too big of a piece? He has been spending more time in the rocks the last few days, but nothing that seems alarming to me. Ideas?

 

[FishyReef]

It must have been food related because he's looking back to normal now.

I had a betta once that would choke on its food; I'd find him floating on his side gasping and would have to perform fishy cpr - push it around in the tank to get water/air flowing through its gills and then it would spit up the pellet and happily swim away. This went on for about 6 months before he passed on. So weird. That fish lived 2 years in a little betta bowl with a plant.

 

[Bifferwine]

It sounds like he had something stuck in his mouth -- hopefully he fixed it!