Bolivian Ram With Curved Back (Fish TB or Deformity)

[SalviniCichlidFan]

I have a Bolivian Ram cichlid in my 29 gallon tank. He has had a curved back for a while but I don't know whether its fish TB or a deformity.
He has had it for a while now (like 6 months) and he eats fine and does his usual aggression things.
However these few days I found that he has been gasping a lot and doesn't eat much. I also saw that he swims clumsily and cumbersome.
His posture seems similar to that of a fish with fish TB but the other fish in the tank are not sick and have not been sick for a while.

Do you all think it is fish TB or deformity?

Attached is a picture of the fish.

 

[tlindsey]

I have a Bolivian Ram cichlid in my 29 gallon tank. He has had a curved back for a while but I don't know whether its fish TB or a deformity.
He has had it for a while now (like 6 months) and he eats fine and does his usual aggression things.
However these few days I found that he has been gasping a lot and doesn't eat much. I also saw that he swims clumsily and cumbersome.
His posture seems similar to that of a fish with fish TB but the other fish in the tank are not sick and have not been sick for a while.

Do you all think it is fish TB or deformity?

Attached is a picture of the fish.

View attachment 1487248

Possibly either or I've personally bought Bolivian Rams that looked healthy for awhile but turned out like that.

 

[Deadeye]

Different fish, but I’ve had a krib turn out similar to that from a spawn, so I’m thinking just a genetic defect that waited to show till later. I eventually found it dead, don’t know if from its sickness or the other kribs though.

 

[duanes]

Looks like a deformity to me, should have been culled.
Sometimes deformities aren't apparent until the fish is months old, so rushing them to market is problematic.
There are almost always a few deformities/mutants in every spawn.
That's how some of the goofiest blood parrots were created, by breeding deformed mutants together.

 

[Rtc/tsn]

I have a cave tetra that has also developed something similar looking but He’s been doing just fine with it

 

[SalviniCichlidFan]

How do you all know that it is not fish TB?

 

[Deadeye]

I’m such a commercially bred fish I’d expect deformity before tb.
And optimism…tb is bad.

 

[SalviniCichlidFan]

I’m such a commercially bred fish I’d expect deformity before tb.
And optimism…tb is bad.

If it is fish tb will it spread to the other fish?

 

[Deadeye]

To my knowledge tb is supposed to be very contagious, but I don’t know too much about it.

 

[ryansmith83]

IMO it just looks like a fish that’s wasting away (see the sunken belly). I’ve had old fish take on the weird crooked back as they aged and started getting thin. I’ve had it happen to kribensis and pike cichlids.