Does this cherry barb look deformed? (& sick)

[Whiskyfish]

Hi all,

My new 180L planted tank has had 6 cherry barbs in it for a few days. One of them looks weird and is now lying at the bottom of the tank shuffling around every now and again.

It's hard to tell in the photo but to me he doesn't have that normal rounded fishy underbelly, and I wonder if he's just got some genetic issues.

Ammonia: Smallest amount registering. Less than the first 0.2 on the test. Topped up water with 8L today and added more house plants to help.
Nitrates and trites: 0
Ph: This is low. About 6. Driftwood in tank seems to be the cause.
Gh: 75
TA: 80
KH: 40

I'm also using diy co2 during the day and an airstone at night.

Better photo. He's basically snake shaped. It looks like his belly is hidden behind the sub but it isn't, that's his shape.

Thoughts?

 

[Colin_T]

possibly intestinal worms, maybe a genetic deformity (belly slider).

did the fish look like that when you got it?
if it did, take it back and swap it for a healthy one.

section 3 of the following link tells you how to treat intestinal worms in fish.

What to do if your fish has Stringy White Poop.

Fish do a stringy white poop for several reasons. 1) Internal Bacterial Infections causes the fish to stop eating, swell up like a balloon, breath heavily at the surface or near a filter outlet, do stringy white poop, and die within 24-48 hours of showing these symptoms. This cannot normally be...

www.fishforums.net