No Pelvic Fins?

[Cichlidholic]

Hello All,

I think I have a pretty weird question. I recently got a baby Freidrichstali (2") from my LFS and did not notice that it did not have any pelvic fins?! How weird is that? The fish is otherwise normal and acts fine. He/she is dominant, eats well, is colored well and is the boss in the tank (amongst babies). Fins are just missing...not that they have been bitten off or anything...they are just missing.

Question to the community is: have any of you ever seen this before?

Thanks!

 

[andyjs]

It is probably from bad breeding. I've seen several small fish in stores with missing/partial fins. I wouldn't use it for breeding, but otherwise it should be normal.

 

[FishFreak95]

what are pelvic fins for anyway?

 

[andyjs]

Some species like gobies use them as a suction cup to cling to surfaces. Cories use them to carry eggs. I don't think cichlids use them for much of anything.

 

[Cichlidholic]

Thanks guys. I thought that the lack of fins might have been caused by a genetic issue (i.e. inbreeding) but wanted to know if someone had seen this before and knew of a different cause. Just seems weird that the fish was normal in every aspect except for the missing fins.

Any additional inputs would be welcome.

Thanks,