# Missing lower jaw apparently, congenital or illness



## twocents (Feb 22, 2010)

I bought several rainbow bosemani from Petco. All are in good health save for one (who appears to be ok) but on closer inspection seems to be missing part of the lower jaw. It doesnt come forward and meet the upper lip. She eats well (I have her quarantined btw), swims well, although I think she's a bit lonely being a schooling type fish. The main tank which I fished her out of, the parameters are all good (ammonia 0, nitrites, 0, nitrates are about 20 ppm per API), I will have to keep after the quarantine tank. I have noticed some thin, white, thready strings hanging off her right front side fin. I could return her, but if this is just a congenital defect and she eats well, I would rather not have her die. If this is an illness, what anti biotic would you recommend. All I have on hand is anti fungal and ick (which I don't think it is, if it is an illness.) I have read Marcyn 1 & 2 regarding columnaris (if this is what it is.. gad I hope not.. and I don't really thinkg so). 
Input please and thanks.

two cents ¢¢


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## Ostara (Sep 19, 2010)

One of my Boesemani had a deformed lower "jaw" that didn't quite meet or align with the upper, but it didn't seem to affect him much. He ate and acted just fine, so I stopped worrying about it. At first I thought it was an injury, but after I'd had time to study it it looked more like a defect to me. 

I'm not sure about the stringy things though. Do they look like parasites?


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## twocents (Feb 22, 2010)

I think the stringy stuff was just some phnuk the fish picked up, like accidentally picking up dog hair for example because it is gone now. I think the fish is just defective. Looks godawful but I think it is healthy.


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## aunt kymmie (Jun 2, 2008)

I have similar fish in my tank. I purchased a school of nine Colombian tetras and once I got home I noticed that one of them looked as if he was missing his lower jaw entirely. I thought he was a goner. That was six months ago. He eats, swims & behaves normally and is as healthy as his tankmates. It sounds like each of our fish suffered from sort of congenital birth defect??


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## twocents (Feb 22, 2010)

Hello Aunt. I think you are correct in that it is congenital. The fish appears perfectly healthy, happy, eating. If I do not see any signs of deteroration tonight when I get home, I'll move her back in with her tankmates.


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## aunt kymmie (Jun 2, 2008)

My guess is that your fish is fine, just born that way. I agree that it is awful looking but I'm glad my tetra made it home with me. Better to be with me and live a long life, than to languish in a tank at an LFS because no one would want to purchase an "ugly" fish.


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## twocents (Feb 22, 2010)

Yep. If I brought her back she probably would have been killed. I put her back in the main tank last night. She is mixing it up with the rest of them. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't a rot disease of some type.
So, this is probably ended.


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## aunt kymmie (Jun 2, 2008)

twocents said:


> Yep. If I brought her back she probably would have been killed. I put her back in the main tank last night. She is mixing it up with the rest of them. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't a rot disease of some type.
> So, this is probably ended.


 
Yep, exactly why I didn't return my "deformed" tetra. ;-)


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