Deformities

[monica]

Yes... Well I recently had a batch of eleven fry, and as I was watching them all swimming today, I notcied that one had a curved back. Its heaad and belly are in the front, then its tail sticks straight up like a helicopter. I have never really had a deformity in a fish, so I am assuming I wont be able to sell it, so I named it Wonder, and am planning on keeping it... Should I cull it though?? I have a betta that would be quite happy to have some live food, but it seems so mean... But all of my fish in the tank breed to each other, because at the moment none are closely related... so would his/her children carry deformities aswell?? Also would he/she be able to keep up and get food in the larger tank with the other fish? And if *She* gets pregnant, would she even be able to carry fry? Overall, what should I do?

 

[theotheragentm]

Deformities like that are quite common. It sounds cruel to some people, but I would let him be a tasty meal for another fish. Otherwise they struggle later in life.

 

[Britesprite]

I had a batch of swordtail fry and one of them came out deformed. He had a curved spine as well, although it wasn't as severe as your case sounds. He got along fine in the community tank though and even outlived his normal brothers and sisters!

 

[modaz]

i spent a very obsessive period with a fansination of watching fry drops and a few times i came across these deformed fish, i found that it wasnt really down to genetics as such but mearly the birthing process of the fry, at times the period of the next fry to drop increased to a worrying amount of time but eventually it would come out breached and very slowly and the females always seems really stressed out by this one fry dropping, when it came out it was deformed like yours, i didnt have the heart to cull them and let them grow on, some just vanished and the others died after 1 month as they struggled to keep up with the competition with feeding.

To cull it would be the best thing all round i think, as this is what i do know when it happens b/c experience has showed me that it isnt worth the poor little thing going through the torment.

 

[monica]

Well thank you for the replies. Though he does not seem to be troubled on the finding food area... he seems okay getting food... I was just wondering about the breeding situation?? (as posted on first post)

 

[monica]

oooh gosh... While looking through the fry tankkk... I found 1 baby that had a naturally open mouth. Its bottom jaw stay open, and it is a little pointed from what I can see (the fry are still fairly teensy) What could be wrong? And is it fixible?
Wondering... Could it have been caused from the fry eating something too big? I remember when feeding them brine shrimp, one of them got one stuck in its mouth, but I thopught that eventualllly it would just spit it back out... Could that have cause the jutting lowerr jaw?