Birth Deformities Or Water Quality Cause

[awilson360]

Hi guys,

I got 8 new Black Phantom Tetras on Monday and I noticed on closer inspection whilst acclimitising them that one of them looked a bit... how can I put it, retarded. The left eye is slightly larger in size than the right eye, spine looks to be a tiny bit crooked and swims slightly at an angle on his side. He doesn't have any physical marks or scarring apart from them so I was just questioning whether it was bad water quality in the LFS or shipping that caused it or birth deformities?

I'd just like to rule out a bacterial infection that could get to the rest of my fish but the other Tetras all seem to be healthy... touch wood!

Thanks,
AW

 

[rhiannonk]

... hrm ... well I have a neon that seemed kind of weird looking when I got him - kind of crooked shape and stuff ... but I've had him for over a month with his schoolmates and he seems as healthy as the rest of them. If the fish seems otherwise healthy, it COULD be due to a birth defect (millions of these things are sold ... bound to be a few oddballs) or injury. Just to be on the safe side, though, you could always quarantine him for a bit to make sure he doesn't seem to have any infections or anything.