# Bent fish and torn fins



## jessiesa (Apr 22, 2011)

Hello everyone, this is my first post but I've been reading all your great advice for the past few months I've had my tank.

Anyway, I just got home tonight to find my female betta's tail split in half, one of my mollies has a few tears on her fin, and my male molly is struggling to swim, is missing some scales on his face, and when you look from above, his spine is curved to one side.

I have a crab in the tank with my fish. I'm going to assume that he's the culprit of the torn fins, but is it possible for him to have bent my molly causing his spine to be deformed? I feel terrible because they were all so healthy when I left for work this afternoon.

Is there anything I can do to help my male molly?


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Well, dont just assume the crab did it.The little betta girl could have gotten pretty mad and jumped in a fight with the others.She could also be a he,just shortfinned.Bettas are usually ok with mollies,but they are still aggressive little fish.

I would seperate the male and keep him in a quarantine tank,with some warm water.Add salt and keep him warm.I have heard fish leukemia can cause bent spines,but also certain injuries will attribute to it.Keep an eye on him,and while you are at it,be sure to watch the ladies and make sure you dont see flaring coming from the betta,or chasing.

If possible get a pic of her so we can be sure she is in fact female.


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## jessiesa (Apr 22, 2011)

I'm pretty certain my betta in the tank is a female. Right now she has a nice swollen belly and a white dot on the bottom. I have uploaded some pictures to my gallery of the tank, my bent molly and my betta. Let me know what you think. I'm wondering if he could have gotten stuck behind the heater.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

I had a bent-back bloodfin tetra the other day that had been trapped behind the sponge prefilter on my tank. He was so far gone when he escaped that I gave him a bath in everclear to end his misery (for a fish, OD on alcohol is like us ODing on anesthesia - they just go to sleep).

As it stands, I'd say the crab probably did it - at night fish sleep near the bottom where the current is less, when crabs and other crustaceans like crays are active and "hunt". Crabs make horrible tankmates because they eat everything and anything they can get their claws around. Kind of like really mean billy goats.


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## jessiesa (Apr 22, 2011)

Unforunately I had to euthanize my dalmation molly. After a few days he couldn't keep his balance anymore, wouldn't eat, and ended up sitting upside down on the bottom of the tank. My black molly kept swimming under him and lifting him off the bottom, which was sweet. I couldn't stand looking at him so miserable. He was the first fish I've had to euthanize. 

In regards to the crab, well, he escaped from the tank and is MIA. I think my beagle may have turned him into lunch. I've torn the house apart and cannot find him anywhere. The first time he tried to escape, he landed inside the filter, but this time he actually got out. After what I think he did to my sweet molly, I'm never getting a crab again. 

My black molly is still recovering, but has developed a white band around her belly about 1 cm wide that starts at her anus and wraps around the base of her dorsal fin and down the other side. I'm not sure what it is. I don't see individual spots so I don't think it is ick. Any ideas?


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