Deformed fish poll

[epsolon77]

Here is a tough question. As guppies do, my guppies have bred. I have segregated the males as much as possible, but I had something like 7 pregnet guppies 3 months ago, and have gotten 8 drops so far. Now they are all active and happy, plenty of hiding spaces for the little one's, they only complain that I don't feed them enough (aka, every moment of every day)

A few of the fish have some deformities. Mostly crooked spines. I'm sure this has something to do with in breeding, but should I kill them even though they are not having any issues swimming around the thank? Please understand that if they are not euthanized they will spend their days happily swimming around the tank, and I will do everything in my power to keep them from breeding. I'd love to know your thoughts.

 

[WhiteDevil]

Those fish are meant to be culled, got a bigger fish?

I dont let them live as I breed for size and looks, curved/bent spines are deformaties that they will never recover from and also makes them a weak fish to breed with.

 

[epsolon77]

Those fish are meant to be culled, got a bigger fish?

I dont let them live as I breed for size and looks, curved/bent spines are deformaties that they will never recover from and also makes them a weak fish to breed with.

just to clarify, These fish will be removed from the breeding stock as much as can be done when it's guppies. So they will NOT be intentionally bred. I am just asking if people feel they should be allowed to live out their lives, whatever that natural span would be, in peace, or if we should do as mother nature would and kill the fish.

 

[BigJim]

Mother Nature doesn't necessarily kill deformed fish. I've seen a lot of fish caught with crooked spines, missing eyes, missing fins, etc. My vote is to let the fish live peacefully in a "freak show" tank. Either that or use them as feeders.

 

[Mystery]

If you have room for them and they won't get much chace to breed and don't seem to be suffering, it would be nice to let them stay.

 

[mfdrookie516]

I wouldnt kill them, id feed them. i have some hungry fish that would love some guppies

 

[bs6749]

Pretty easy to see what a responsible hobbyist should do and that is to cull them or use them as feeders for larger fish. They wont' "swim around happily" because they don't know what "happy" is. They are fish, not people.

Keeping them around gives them the chance to breed and all you are doing is weakening the bloodlines of the fish, something that would almost always be taken care of in nature as the retarded and deformed fish would more easily be preyed upon and fewer would survive to a breeding age.

 

[Hucklebuck]

let live

I have one that came that way when i bought them and didnt know what was wrong and she does fine when she is tired she lays down on the bottom , she swims bad bit she still has a good life,just lost the good baby that was doing good and only had bin free in the tank (from baby cage) for 4 days and just found her dead !

 

[Mystery]

A animal doesn't have to be a person to be able to enjoy a contented little life on whatever scale it is capable of appreciating. And, all other things being equal, allowing that to happen is a good thing.

 

[Vikesfankevin]

I have a black neon with no tail that was going to get fed so I took him for free. He is one of my favorite fish...a little different situation but he gets along just fine...

 

[dkpate]

My BGK has a deformed front fin, and I would never kill him! He still swims okay and eats fine. He just kind of wiggles a little more than normal lol. I am NOT planning on breeding him so no worries about the lineage lol. I think having one a little different makes them special and a little more appealing, to me anyway.

 

[JPKeenan]

If the fish does not seem like it is suffering.... but how can we tell.... and they are not going to breed might as well leave them alone.

I had a danio with a twisted spine, had a swim bladder infection when my water chem went haywire. For a while he was weak and didn't look good but got better. Then he just up and died one night. Might have been picked on by the CAE I have.

Bad thing is that for a cat or dog we can tell when they are suffering. They will hide, whimper and such. With fish we don't know as well

 

[Blueiz]

I am for culling all deformed fish as soon as it is noticed. If the deformity results from an injury to the fish, that is a different circumstance. If the deformity was purpose bred in the fish, that is also a different circumstance.

Two questions that you could ask yourself to help you determine what to do:

Are you selling or giving away your guppies to anyone? If the answer to this is yes, cull the ones that need to be.

Are you keeping ALL the fish in your own care, and there is zero concern for these fish to be in the hands of someone else? If the answer is yes, this could be your own personal call. However keep in mind that by keeping them, inevitably you are going to have fry from them and some will appear normal however you won't know if they have the gene-or lack there of, that caused the deformity. Therefore you are reducing the quality of the stock in your tanks, and your will lack the integrity that producing quality fish allows it to have.

 

[bs6749]

Fish lack a part of the brain called the neocortex, which is part of the brain that is involved with consciousness, sensory perception, reasoning, rationalization, etc. Without this fish aren't able to perceive suffering. Cull the deformities.