What's wrong with this Catfish?
- Thread starter rmkblades
- Start date
It is a firewood cat, and it appears to be suffering some kind of spinal deformity. I've encountered cats with similar maladies, and, generally speaking, they can still grow up to be "healthy" adults. Having said that, it will always have the deformity.
Unfortunately, it's impossible to know if this is a genetic defect, or if the fish suffered an injury and this is the way it has healed itself.
Unfortunately, it's impossible to know if this is a genetic defect, or if the fish suffered an injury and this is the way it has healed itself.
There were like 3 or 4 and they all looked like this. He said this is how they arrived. Could this have happened in shipping to all of them? Or is it more likely a genetic defect considering the whole batch arrived like that. I'm surprised a vendor would even send it to a LFS like that, but like you said, if they can grow up healthy and one doesn't mind having a "Special" Catfish, lol, then why not. When I first saw them, I thought oh cool, what do we have here? Definitely makes them look very interesting and unique. Thank you for the quick reply.
Omg! That looks horrible! It's a shame cuz these cats aren't too common either
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If the whole batch came in looking like that, then it is possible that it's a genetic defect. However, I am not sure if this species is being farmed, and if not, it is highly unlikely that they were all wild caught that way. Nature is quite good at culling weak individuals.
I am not aware that firewoods are farmed on a large scale. I'd not think so.
It is second to the most messed up I've ever seen. Painful to look at. Looks like a roadkill.
The whole batch is hard to rationalize indeed. I think / I've read others say that firewoods may be used in the farming experiments and perhaps are thrown in the ponds where TSNs are bred too in SA. Too much uncertainty.
I am almost afraid to think someone is playing with them to produce some that "appeal to the customers who are bored with the usual-looking stuff", you know, in the (harmful IMHO) spirit of hybridization, fish tattooing, coloring, scarring, etc. Sadly, people get bored soon and need a "wow" moment, like a drug, and in the worst cases even a "bad" wow suffices; it leads to a perversion of taste and down-spirals from there on. Like some kings e.g., of France had to have mutant humans, e.g., people with too many digits, limbs, two heads, quasimodos, siamese twins, etc. in their courts.
It is second to the most messed up I've ever seen. Painful to look at. Looks like a roadkill.
The whole batch is hard to rationalize indeed. I think / I've read others say that firewoods may be used in the farming experiments and perhaps are thrown in the ponds where TSNs are bred too in SA. Too much uncertainty.
I am almost afraid to think someone is playing with them to produce some that "appeal to the customers who are bored with the usual-looking stuff", you know, in the (harmful IMHO) spirit of hybridization, fish tattooing, coloring, scarring, etc. Sadly, people get bored soon and need a "wow" moment, like a drug, and in the worst cases even a "bad" wow suffices; it leads to a perversion of taste and down-spirals from there on. Like some kings e.g., of France had to have mutant humans, e.g., people with too many digits, limbs, two heads, quasimodos, siamese twins, etc. in their courts.
The owner of the LFS was a former MFK'er. He knows a lot of people in the business and doesn't deal in shady fish that have been abused or purposely mutated. I mean he may have a few flowerhorns, but I think we have moved past calling them mutants. Believe me, he would rather have healthy Firewood Catfish for sale. I don't think anyone wants to buy one after they learn that this is not how they are supposed to look like naturally. But, if someone wants to give one a home so it doesn't live in a fish store forever and can look past its deformity, by all means...they should buy one. I think this was a one time deal as far as their condition. I sincerely don't believe this is a new fad he was trying to promote for monetary gain. As far as why or how he received 4 large specimens that looked like this, I cannot say for sure. But I also hope no one is trying to create some deformed catfish to try and attract buyers looking for oddities. If the fish happens to be deformed by a genetic defect without the hand of man being involved and someone buys it and ends up with an interesting fish, then great. But I agree that knowingly mutating a species is not the right path.
Right, Rouben
I was not thinking of the LFS owner or implying anything. Just trying to think in general (without pointing fingers) of a conceivable reason 4 such fish can come about. That's precisely what I was trying to say
how are ya