Crooked back?

[G2-B]

These fish came with a 55-gl aquarium that I picked up yesterday. They were a surprise with very short notice of less than 24 hours. I don't even know what kind of fishes these are. But the golden one at the surface is clearly not doing well.

Since this is the only fish that has this problem as soon as I had the barrel in my vehicle, I think it must have suffered some physical trauma during this transfer. I didn't expect it would survive the 2-hour trip home, but it surprised me; and still does 24+ hours later. They're obviously not happy, but the golden one is still alive. It mostly lies flat on the bottom, but comes up to the surface with the others when I feed them.

They will stay in the barrel for a few days because I don't have a spare tank ready to put them in. They're 3 to 4 times as big as any other fish I have and will have to remain separate regardless.

Today I thoroughly cleaned out their old tank, washed the gravel and scrubbed that filthy filter as much as I could. With an additional cannister filter, the water is now running clear. Tomorrow I'll install a heater and when the temperatures match I'll transfer the fish back into their old but much cleaner home. Once they're in a glass tank, I'll be able to see better what I have and what is going on.

 

[Aiken Drum]

If the fish was good before the transfer and it wasn't afterwards, then an injury is likely.

If you arent sure if it was good or not before the transfer, IMO it's more likely it was already bent and crooked.

2 likely causes are bad genetics and tuberculosis. Both of which are increasingly common. If its bad genetics, then the fish can have some quality of life. As long as it can swim and eat, doesn't get picked on by the other fish, then no need to intervene. TB however can be passed to other fish, it can be passed onto you. Be very careful if you put your hands in the water. Make sure you have no cuts or abrasion, wash your hands afterwards.

Personally, this is why quarantine is important. I really don't see that getting better. I would euthanise the fish primarily due to the risk of TB and give the rest a lengthy quarantine. If you want to see if things improve, I would isolate the fish to remove any stress from the other fish and give it pristine water to see if things improve. If it's an injury, being on its own in a hospital tank is going to give the fish the best chance of recovery.

 

[V227]

There's likely no recovery for the big yellow fish.

It looks like he might be a male Kenyi, an African Mbuna Cichlid.
Here's a pic of a male Kenyi I once kept

 

[G2-B]

If the fish was good before the transfer and it wasn't afterwards, then an injury is likely.

I should have taken pictures before, but indeed, that is imo what happened. I think I would have noticed if there was a crooked one. There's been a few bumps on the way to my vehicle that the water splashed up against the lid of the tank. Possibly that is when it happened.

 

[G2-B]

There's likely no recovery for the big yellow fish.
It looks like he might be a male Kenyi, an African Mbuna Cichlid.

I also doubt that he'd get better. I'm surprised he is still alive after 2 days, but it just looked sad. I euthanized him.