# Albino Cory Crooked Spine- Fish TB?



## streetlightdawn (Dec 2, 2009)

So last week I noticed that one of my albino cories was acting sick. He has always had a crook in his spine near his tail fin, and so I was not too worried about it. However, I just looked up some illnesses and he may have fish TB. He has lost coloring (even though he's an albino, he's even lighter than he was), he's lethargic, and with the crooked spine, I'm kind of worried. He has no lesions however and he has not gotten any skinnier, and like I said, I've had him for 5 months and he's always had the crooked spine. Should I be worried?:-(

1. What is the size of your tank?
--10 gallon
2. What are your water parameters? State the brand of test kit used.
--I only have an api ammonia kit, but it says 0
3. Is your aquarium set up freshwater or brackish water?
--freshwater
4. How long the aquarium has been set up?
--7 months
5. What fish do you have? How many are in your tank? How big are they? How long have you had them?
--4 albino cories, 1 betta, 1 flying fox
6. Were the fish placed under quarantine period (minus the first batch from the point wherein the tank is ready to accommodate the inhabitants)?
--yes
7. What temperature is the tank water currently?
--74 degrees F
8. Are there live plants in the aquarium?
--yes
9. What filter are you using? State brand, maintenance routine and power capacity.
--sponge filter
10. Any other equipment used (aside from heater and filter which are two very important components of the tank)?
--no
11. Does your aquarium receive natural sunlight at any given part of the day? What is your lighting schedule (assuming you do not rely on sunlight for our viewing pleasure)?
--not much natural lighting, all indirect. I usually leave the light on 10 hours a day
12. When did you perform your last water change and how much water was changed? How often do you change your water? Do you vacuum the substrate?
--last water change was last Thursday, I change it once a week and vacuum the substrate. 
13. What foods do you provide your fish? What is the feeding schedule?
--i feed the albino cories sinking wafers every other day
14. What unusual signs have you observed in your fish?
--see above
15. Have you treated your fish ahead of diagnosis? If so, what treatments did you use? State your reasons for planning ahead of proper diagnosis.
--I used some jungle parasite clear a little bit ago, but in a half dose for the albinos.


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## redchigh (Jan 20, 2010)

I think fish TB is unlikely. To be on the safe side, don't put your hand in the tank water, but just the same, I doubt thats the problem.

I've had guppies with a crooked spine- it's a genetic defect.
They do fine, sometimes for a week or two after birth, and sometimes they live a long time. I think the spine eventually begins impeding their organs funtionality- essentially the same problems as stunting- their organs run out of room to grow properly.
Again, it's speculation, but I've never had a fish with a crooked spine live to a ripe old age. 

Maybe someone else has an idea...

I'd place the fish in quarantine (just in case it's something else). (If I'm wrong, it's likely viral or bacterial. Again, those are just possibilities- I feel they're less likely than my theory.)
Viral diseases are near impossible to cure... Bacterial could be cured with antibiotics.

If it is organ failure like I think, then the most you can do is make it comfortable. If you want to try antibiotics, then feel free, but you may be torturing the cory during the little time it has left.

Maybe someone else has a more optimistic idea...
The only reason I wouldn't euthanise is that the organ failure is pretty sudden in the few times I've seen it.
They seem kind of slow, lose their color, but still eat and swim sometimes.
Then suddenly they lay on the bottom, still breathing but not moving. I go get my euthanization tools (ice-cold water, and a cup with a bag buddy dissolved in it to tranquilise) and get back and its dead.


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## aunt kymmie (Jun 2, 2008)

redchigh said:


> I've had guppies with a crooked spine- it's a genetic defect.
> They do fine, sometimes for a week or two after birth, and sometimes they live a long time. I think the spine eventually begins impeding their organs funtionality- essentially the same problems as stunting- their organs run out of room to grow properly.
> Again, it's speculation, but I've never had a fish with a crooked spine live to a ripe old age.


This is exactly what I would have said. One of my Denison barbs has a crook in his spine and it'll be interesting to see what his life spans ends up being compared to the others.


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## streetlightdawn (Dec 2, 2009)

Ok thanks, I'm not gonna lie, I was kind of freaking out yesterday a bit haha. The way you described the organ failure is pretty much exactly what happened so it sounds like that was probably it. The little guy passed yesterday so at least he's not suffering anymore, I just wanted to try to figure out the cause. Again, thank you so much everyone!


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## redchigh (Jan 20, 2010)

Yea fish TB is nasty, and can even kill humans.

(Only death EVER was a guy who worked at an aquarium, and I think it was a marine tank. He punctured his hand on a coral or something. He got a skin infection, and he didn't get it checked out. I think it really just festered until he caught staph.)

Luckily fish TB is EXTREMELY rare.


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