Please Help

[BaxCat]

His fins are growing towards his neck and it's getting to the point where his spines are about to penetrate his neck

 

[BaxCat]

When I first got him he was maybe three in and his fins were perfectly straight I still have photos of them when I first got him this is something that happened once I got him

 

[BaxCat]

His left fin is like a gradual curl but the right fin makes like a 90 degree angle that's the one I'm concerned about the other one looks like it's at least trying to straighten out

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

This Is Chicken

I am very concerned for my little friend. While I Was preparing their new home I had chicken and Oscar who is my foot long tiger shovelnose in a 55 gallon. Chicken love hiding between a piece of Driftwood and the back wall of the tank. I believe from how long he stayed there his Benz grew like that. I was told once they were moved into the new tank he would be fine they would straighten out but it is for a week or two if not more and they don't seem to be straightening out. I'm very concerned because one of them is very close to his neck and it looks like if it continues to grow it will grow into his neck. I was wondering if worst case scenario if it's been started penetrating if I could clip that spine below where it starts to bend. I tried housing an Asian redtail catfish with my tiger shovelnose and he pretty much destroyed his whole right front Fin and he regrew it fine within a month. I don't want to cause any of my fish any unnecessary harm it's just I'm wondering what if anything can be done. As of right now he doesn't seem to be in any pain it's just he gets around in a goofy manner and his back tail pretty much gets him where he needs to go. I'm looking for any advice or suggestions or if anybody may know if this is more than what I think it is
---
View attachment 1281458

Welcome to the MFK!

It's hard to say from the photo what's going on with your RTC's pectoral fins. You described it better in words later on in the thread. So going on that I'd think that this is some kind of inborn defect that your RTC has. It's not too rare to see defects in the RTCs in the trade, albeit this is probably the first time I see such a defect.

If the fish spends most of its time wedged between the driftwood and the wall AND its pectoral fins are curled up in this position, then this would explain it too... as due to that and not to a genetic defect. Again, this would be the first time for me to see that in RTC.

I wonder if the 90 degree angle is in the fin that's pressed against the wall and the more gradual curl is on the driftwood side as that would make sense geometrically.

In the first case, there is probably nothing you can do. Just let it be.

In the second - remove / move the driftwood and see it the fins will start straightening up little by little.

 

[deeda]

Check out the followup posts in the Illness forum.

 

[piranhaman00]

Why are these fish still sold at pet stores? I know pacu have been slowly but surely ceasing to exist at lfs but these guys as well as tsn, man not suitable for home aquaria.

 

[BaxCat]

I had to buy him online. But the one that makes the 90 degree angle is starting to go up in his gills at any point would you recommend cutting the bar where it starts to bend and let it grow back straight? This happened when he was in the 55-gallon he's now an almost a 300-gallon system and there's no place for him to get wedged in. I was told wait a few weeks after putting them in the bigger tank but it doesn't seem to be straightening itself out it just seems to get bigger and closer to his gills the bigger he gets