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i have a 29G tank that is primarily occupied by a group of guppies (roughly 10, various sizes, both sexes). i've had most of them for at least 6-8 months, and they have generally been doing well.

i recently noticed, however, that some of them are beginning to look 'bent.' i first noticed it in one of the fry, which i assumed was just a birth defect, but some of the adults (both male and female) are beginning to show it, too.

could this be from a diet deficiency? i feed them two kinds of flakes, brine shrimp (occasionally) and freeze dried bloodworms (occasionally). there are also live plants in the tank that they seem to nibble at.

i've lost one or two so far, but i'm not sure if these ones had been 'bent' or not...

what do you think i should do?

It could be a calcium deficiency or similar, it could also be mycobacterium rearing its ugly head, but then a lot of fish arc their body posture in reaction to dodgy water chemistry,can you post a pic?

i can, but i'm not sure if i will have a chance to... i will try my best though.

in any case, the water quality is fine (ph about 7, nitrite/ammonia 0, nitrate less than 20ppm).

they just look like fish hunchbacks; bent over and humped... it's odd

Had a feeling you'd probably be on top of the water chemistry, in which case it might be mycobacterium. If it is youll need to track down some metronidazole pretty quick.

Oddly enough most calcium that fish intake actually comes from the water itself, and certain sun worshipping fish need at least some uv exposure to help metabolise it.This is typically only prevented by oxylates in vegetable matter rending the calcium useless. Flakes are usually balanced, so perhaps the cause is most likely to be mycobacterium.

I have often found older female
guppies become very hump backed.
Like 2-3 years old and thousands of fry
later.
If the fry are developing this though,
I would look to other causes.
Perhaps a broad spectrum anti-bacterial
would be worthwhile to try.


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