# a lump



## DrewD (Dec 16, 2013)

My male male swordtail and one of the females has developed a lump or growth in the spine area about midway down the body.
The female(who had the growth first) is still lively active and feeding.The male meanwhile is lethargic but eating. What could this be?


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## henningc (Apr 17, 2013)

DrewD,

Without a photo that is hard to say, no worries I breed fish and don't handle a camera very well. 

If it is on top of the spine and more like an arch bow than it is a calcium deficiency and chances are there is no revering it. It that is the case the fish should be oddly thinning. If it is more like a knot it is likely the effect of inbreeding. Swords, platys, molly and guppies have been so intensely inbreed commercially it only take 1-2 generations of inbreeding to have these issues arise. As long as they don't breed with the other livebearers you're fine.


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## DrewD (Dec 16, 2013)

So are you saying not to breed the trio I just bought?
I have 4 purchased four different breeds of swordtail. 
I would like to.have a colony of them.


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## skiffia 1 (Oct 3, 2012)

As mentioned without a photo there is no way of knowing I believe Henningc is saying don't breed with the other livebearers meaning your swordtail with other swordtails. Because of inbreeding, commercially breed swordtails are the result of a cross with a platy. 
Swordtails and platy’s are of the same species Xiphophorus therefore cannot breed with other livebearers. 
Don’t be put off by inbreeding your fish. It is a bit of a myth that it only take’s 1-2 generations of inbreeding to have issues


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