"Bent" glass catfish

[annka5]

I was in LFS at weekend and they had a tank of glass catfish.
Around half of them had a very, VERY clear "bend" in them, about half way down their bodies, and at about 80 degrees. Other than the "bend" they looked perfectly fine.
WHAT is/ was wrong with them?? Is it some kind of genetic thing? I'm asking purely out of curiousity, have no interest in buying them or whatever. It was just such a peculiar looking thing.

 

[Jen]

I would think it's genetic. Or a diease. I had a fish once (I can't remember what kind.... probably a live bearer) and one day I noticed that it was bent like that. It had been normal for a long time. It didnt live much longer after than.

 

[Undawada]

Fish Tuberculosis

I'd stay away from that tank or anything sharing the same water, just to be safe.

 

[CatLover]

Yea, most likely genetic. I have a kuhli loach that has a deformed spine. It has about 6 or 7 curves in it all the way down his body. He looks like a zig-zag line. He is perfectly healthy though and has been with me for over a year know

 

[sylvia]

If they were born with it it was genetic, if they are old fish, it is age, if it appeared out of no where it is TB. Regardless, don't risk it. Stay away from those fish, that tank, stay away from any tanks that may share filtration or equipment in fact(that includes nets and things used to catch fish!). TB is a very nasty disease and you should just stay away for a while It will save you a lot of trouble in the long run - you realy don't want to transfer TB to a healthy tank. You may also quarantine new fish but there's still a risk of contaminating a healthy tank if you use the same syphon/filters/nets/buckets etc for other tanks.

 

[Undawada]

Not to mention piscine (fish) TB is transferrable to humans... You don't want that trust me.

 

[WILDER]

Yes i would stay away from them to, i think i would say something to the lfs as well, as if it is tb there are going to be a lot of fish deaths if fishkeepers buy them, poor things.

 

[OohFeeshy]

I think deformities like that can be caused by inbreeding. Its so sad seeing a tank of bent guppies who can hardly swim...

 

[annka5]

Thanks all.

I've no intention of buying the fish, it was just that it looked so peculiar - almost like they had been folded in a wierd way - and I had no idea what it is.
becuase they were jsut in the LFS, I don't know if the fish had been born like that or not, hence the question.

On an aside, I've always assumed that commercial breeders would be fairly rigourous on culling clearly deformed stock like that , if only because they would cost to raise and then be unsaleable - any comments?
I know you get the occasional fish with a "kink" in the spine, or missing eye, or funny fin, or whatever, but these really were bent at practically a right angle - obviously not right, even from a quick glance, so why would they have escaped a culling?

 

[bunjiweb]

They wouldnt have been sold "deformed" fish.... They have clearly developed something whilst in the store.... as said above possibly fish tb, although there are other internal infections that do cause spine deformities.

Ben

 

[betta_breeder]

One time in one of my lfs i saw a bent danio! it looked to have a bent spine!

 

[Angry_Platy]

I would think it's genetic. Or a diease. I had a fish once (I can't remember what kind.... probably a live bearer) and one day I noticed that it was bent like that. It had been normal for a long time. It didnt live much longer after than.

I see livebearers in the LFS like this. It is more curved (spine arches too much) and the belly is sunken in and the fish LOOKS sick. I am pretty sure that is fish TB!!

 

[CFC]

Thanks all.

I've no intention of buying the fish, it was just that it looked so peculiar - almost like they had been folded in a wierd way - and I had no idea what it is.
becuase they were jsut in the LFS, I don't know if the fish had been born like that or not, hence the question.

On an aside, I've always assumed that commercial breeders would be fairly rigourous on culling clearly deformed stock like that , if only because they would cost to raise and then be unsaleable - any comments?
I know you get the occasional fish with a "kink" in the spine, or missing eye, or funny fin, or whatever, but these really were bent at practically a right angle - obviously not right, even from a quick glance, so why would they have escaped a culling?

Almost all farm raised tropical fish come from fish farms in far east Asia where the owners of the farm will send anything if it makes them a profit, there is little to no quallity control and the fish are often diseased and of poor quality. Once a shipment of fish arrives at at its destination in the UK or US there is no way the store can send the fish back so they have the choice of either culling the stock or trying to sell it.
Buying from a wholesalers in the country is one way to avoid getting poor quality fish as they take the fall if bad stock arrives from the farm but adding a middle man adds to the retail price of the fish.

 

[dulcie]

I have had a neon who is bent, he is about a year old and very healthy, i thought it was just a spine deformation like scoliosis in people??? We named him wonky !