# Deformed? Guppy



## Infiniteblue

I have this one male guppy that's been around for over a year now. He's by far the fanciest guy in the tank but he sure seems deformed. Anyone else see or have one like this guy? Sorry for the terrible pictures.


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## jaybourne074

I don't think so. I have really similar shape.


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## Infiniteblue

My guy, whom I call Bats, holds his fins out and over his body, unlike everyone else who's are by their sides, plus his body is bent half way. I really thought he wouldn't make it when he was younger, he always hung out on the ground under branches. But now he's clearly king of the guppies in my tank. I went through the picture gallery but can't find one like him.


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## z1200

It looks like he has a curved spine. Some of my fry get curved spines, I always feed them to my oscars. I wouldn't breed a male with a curved spine because I think it would increase the likelihood of getting more curved spines in the future.


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## ArtyG

Yes, he has a deformed curved spine. These sort of anomalies are common amongst fancy guppies which only became fancy by extreme inbreeding. That is why ruthless culling is required to maintain healthy strains of any fancy fish. I breed a similar strain of guppies that I picked up at Petsmart mostly to provide feeders for angels. Out of hundreds of fry there will be three or four with the guppy form of scoliosis, the angels don't seem to mind.


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## rolesvillemollies

Yes, that guppy has a spinal deformity that can occur in most livebearers. I have seen mollies with the same thing. I would definitely not breed this guppy.


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## Infiniteblue

He'S such an interesting fish it's too bad.


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## ArtyG

Infiniteblue said:


> He'S such an interesting fish it's too bad.


Note, you are the god of your aquarium. If you want to breed him go right ahead. How do you think we got so many shapes of goldfish? Just beware you may be producing many guppies whose final use may be cichlids food of one species or another. Not that there's any thing wrong with that.


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