American Killifish Association, Member Forums

American Killifish Association, Member Forums
https://aka.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl General Category >> Killifish Diseases >> Moema quiii Female with deformity in tail https://aka.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1496361604 Message started by Candice Jantzen on Jun 1^st, 2017 at 7:00pm

Title: Moema quiii Female with deformity in tail
Post by Candice Jantzen on Jun 1^st, 2017 at 7:00pm

hi,
I looking at a new batch of Moema quiii I just got at an auction. I realized the female had a deformed tail. Its a small defect. I got nervous because it reminded me of diseases that leave minnows with curves in the spin. Being that it was in the tail and a show fish, I think most likely its due to being in a small container a lot of the time. I know any disease that effects the fish spine can't really be cleaned. I was wondering if this fish is known for tail defects or if show fish are known for tail defects due small spaces?
Thanks

Title: Re: Moema quiii Female with deformity in tail
Post by Andy Jameson on Jun 2^nd, 2017 at 12:42pm

Candice,

Those fish are somewhat large and between being in the small show tanks and being transported to and from the show, it isn't unusual to find damage to the fish afterwards. That's particularly true for a female who would have been housed in that small tank without cover and with a male for a couple of days. That said, it's very hard to comment on this defect without more info on what it looks like.

A photo would probably be worth a thousand words, but if that's not possible, could you describe it a little more? Is it in the tail (caudal) fin, or forward of that in the caudal peduncle? Is it on the surface, or does it appear deeper?

The good news is that most "defects", even ones not due to injury, usually seem not to be hereditary. So while we always try to breed "perfect" fish when possible, I have seen a lot of excellent fry come from a parent with some issues.

Andy

Title: Re: Moema quiii Female with deformity in tail
Post by Candice Jantzen on Jun 3^rd, 2017 at 3:42pm

here is a picture

taildeformity.jpg (25 KB | 604 )

Title: Re: Moema quiii Female with deformity in tail
Post by Andy Jameson on Jun 3^rd, 2017 at 4:39pm

OK, that's clear. It sure looks like it is the spine itself and something she would have had since she was small, or maybe even at hatching. I know that some diseases can cause things like that, but that sort of deformity isn't uncommon among batches of otherwise perfect young.

If she is swimming and feeding normally, my guess would be that she will live as long as any other fish and likely breed without passing this along to her young. No, she wouldn't be my first choice as a breeder, but I wouldn't avoid breeding her if she was what I had either. That's especially true for a rare fish like this. Good luck with her!

Andy