What is wrong with my Odessa barb? Bonus: and gourami

[Vladka]

Hi there, I have a great school of Odessa barbs, and one of them has become a little odd. It’s disfigured now and has started schooling with the pearl Gouramis instead. Still eats happily but behaves strange, nibbles on my arm when I stick it in the tank and isn’t shy at all, more outgoing than I think is normal.

Bonus: I do have 1 strange pearl gourami, I think he just has bad genetics, it’s about 6 months old and still pretty small and very oddly shaped. I thought it was gonna die so I got 2 nice ones to replace it but then it perked up so here we are 3 months later.

Maybe they have the same issue? Parasites? Or is it likely genetics for both?

 

[SaraB]

Some fish just like to nibble on people's hands. If I stick my hand in my tank my juvenile mollies will go right for me. I think it's normal.

As for the schooling with different fish, I'm not sure. I've had a cory adopted into the tetra school (despite other corydoras in the tank) and a tetra that demands to swim with one of my platys. Fish are weird but I guess they can make friends with whoever's in the tank.

As for the disfigurement... I'm not entirely sure. Like you said it could just be a result of bad breeding. I would keep an eye on them in case their behavior gets weird. Look for lack of appetite, weight loss despite eating, scratching against decorations, staying in one place all the time, gasping for air at the surface etc.

 

[Vladka]

Some fish just like to nibble on people's hands. If I stick my hand in my tank my juvenile mollies will go right for me. I think it's normal.

As for the schooling with different fish, I'm not sure. I've had a cory adopted into the tetra school (despite other corydoras in the tank) and a tetra that demands to swim with one of my platys. Fish are weird but I guess they can make friends with whoever's in the tank.

As for the disfigurement... I'm not entirely sure. Like you said it could just be a result of bad breeding. I would keep an eye on them in case their behavior gets weird. Look for lack of appetite, weight loss despite eating, scratching against decorations, staying in one place all the time, gasping for air at the surface etc.

My worry is the change in behavior rather than the behavior itself. The barb didn’t used to act like that, he was a normal guy before. I’m worried about parasites since he does seem to have a caved in abdomen and a buldging head. Here’s a picture of my “normal” looking Odessa barbs next to the “weird” guy.