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Please help me to identify my odd looking Zebra. I have a few of these I will be selling but would like to know their gender first. It is a little over 2.5 inched & approximately 3 yrs old. Thank you for your time & opinions!!

All finns are completely deformed, looks skinny to me to, what's his/her size?

Thank you for your response. It's a little over 2.5 inches. Almost 2.75 inches.

Could be a young female, but I am not sure. Did you say you have several with the same deformities? My first reaction would be that this fish has lost it's fins due to either bullying or extremely bad conditioning, leading to them growing back deformed. If however you have several that all have fins like this i would think it is more likely to be genetic or a deformation during development. That said a I have never seen a deformation due to environmental conditions to this extent.

Could you get some closer photos of the fins and escepially the pectorial fins and tail.

on a seperate note, it may be the photo but it's eyes look slightly sunken. If they are, (and as I said it could be the photo), then this means that the fish has been malnourished / ill and the fat deposits in it's head are starting to deteriorate which causes the eyes to sink in. Keep fattening it up , with lots of little water changes.

Definately an interesting one.

Rob

never seen zeb,s like that b4

Don't know if it's the correct word but the fish's skin looks weirdly smooth.
Never seen deformities like this before, but i surely wouldn't sell this fish.

I have seen deformities like this before, imo due to bad circumstances in a breeder.
I think bad circumstances in a breeder (high nitrate level, low oxygen/flow, bad hygiene, bacteria) can cause this in a early stage of growth.

Just my 2 cents

What size was the fish when you got it?

Very odd, a possible female but you shouldn't sell this as a breeder or try to breed yourself IMO.
I have bred a few stub nose zebs & I just keep them for community tanks only.

First of all "Thank You" for the input on the causes of deformation.

Rob,
As you can see I have been a member of your site for quite awhile. I am mostly just a voyeur that stops in to pick up tips & hear the latest gossip. I have been buying wayward Zebra's for several years. Now have 34 of ranging sizes. This group was bought about a year ago. The deformities vary in severity; but was unsure of there cause. He was around 2 inches long when I bought him. I will try to take more pictures of the items you suggested & post them. They are fed twice a day with varying food reccommended by this site. (Blood worms, Black worms, Cyclopeze, Myisis shrimp, etc...) I have an RO system which I add a small amout of well water to in order to get the correct water parameters. I live in a very rural area where cows are more common than people. This one spends most of it's time inside a cave recently. I was hoping it was a male.

John,
I think you are probaly correct in your assumption of poor animal husbandry. The previous owner was not very attentitive to his tanks or the fishes needs. It's kind of a shame to spend that much on fish (He bought them for $250 each) & not research how to care for them. I believe he bought them at 1 inch long.

Wow..
Never seen zebras like that before, even in the wild.

I can only say that this will help us to identify what has caused such strange deformities.
Thank you for being brave enough to post pictures of these zebras for all to learn,
It will be super if you can post more pictures of the others in the same group as well.

Saul

I have some H contradens fry with a similar deformity. They were in my breeder tank along with other fry from other spawns which were not similarly effected. My maint. routine is thorough and regular, they all get the same varied and healthy diet.

I am allowing them to grow out and won't sell them. I am curious to see how they grow.

Interesting..

I have only seen 2 fish that came with deformities from the wild. I often wonder what it is....

Saul