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Does my SAE have Fish TB?

Epiphyte

Epiphyte

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15 Dec 2020
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Hemel Hempstead
Okay so I've been dreading to ask this question since I read about it online, as naturally the consequences are a bit disastrous.

I've got a Siamese Algae Eater which is eating well, active and seems fine in health, that is apart from it's body being quite "bent". I noticed this first a few weeks back but didn't think anything of it, then googled it, read plenty and had a moment of panic which leads me up to this moment where I ask people with far more knowledge than myself.

Hopefully it doesn't and this is explainable by some other means. If it does, what are my options?

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Epiphyte said:
Sad thing he was straight as a die when purchased up until maybe 2-3 weeks ago. This is what has me concerned.
Click to expand...
That is quite odd, however sae are sold very small and have a lot of growing to do. So maybe this is only manifesting as the fish grows. Other than the obvious crooked back the fish looks very healthy.
 
It could still be a congenital problem that's manifesting as he grows. I wouldn't worry about 'Fish TB' unless he develops any other symptoms, - it's certainly not the only or most common cause of a bent spine. Just the most worrying.
As long as he can swim well enough to get his share of food, I would just keep an eye out for any other symptons developing and if they do, try to diagnose the cause from there.
 
Thanks both @Conort2 and @sparkyweasel

I'm really hoping it is a late developing birth defect, as I'd be devastated if I had to wipe the tank if it was "TB".

Googling the issue either brings up TB or Neon Tetra Disease, both contagious and both highly fatal.

Here's a slightly better image, he moves too fast usually to get a half decent shot without getting out my proper camera. As you can see there are no lesions, bumps, rot or discolouration. In fact his scales have a really pleasant pearlescent sheen to them which the camera doesn't pick up.

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Torqued or deformed spine could also be a Ammonia poisoning... It causes such severe muscle cramps that can cause such irreversible defect. But they can live for a very long time like this... It's said in theory it also causes a lot of pain and discomfort...

If you have not bought it like this it might be a good thing to check to rule this out.
 
Interesting idea @zozo, my tanks been set up and running well for months now so I've been a bit lazy for checking ammonia, thinking it doesn't really need it now. Well, lo and behold I seem to have 0.5ppm ammonia, so I'm currently doing a water change to remedy that.

No idea what could have caused this ammonia spike, but that's the first thing to fix
 
As a stand alone symptom it's unlikely to be Mycobacteria in my opinion.
If other symptoms such as food spitting,losing weight,particularly around the head,lesions and developing a "knife back" presented then it might be a different story.
My view of fish tb is that it doesn't need to be a death sentence and a complete nuke of the tank and contents.
It just requires a bit more care in how you handle the tank,particularly if anyone who deals with the tank is immuno suppressed in any way.
If I'm honest it's probably lurking in most tanks with fish in.
 
I did a search to find the article back that describes it... But it's to long ago at least 6 years and since i often read in 3 more different languages than my own i actually can't remember what it was. It seems not to be a common or often occurring described symptom. But back then i experienced something similar with a goldfish in the garden.

I actually had an internal filter leakage i hadn't noticed for a few days, it wasn't filtering anylonger but only also spilling all its guts back into the water. And the tub the fish were in was under a tree. There was quite some leaf litter in the tub and the water dark brown... I repaired the filter,did a WC and unfortunately recovered one deformed goldfish from the tub with a crooked spine. I moved it to an indoor tank and it seemed to be still eating and trying to swim the best it could.

I went for a search if there was any treatment for this... But found an article saying it could be caused by Ammonia poisoning... And this can have severe effect on the fish's Osmosis and internal Ph regulation cycle and also causes Anaemia, this all added can cause such severe muscle spasms and cramps able to deform the fish irreversibly... And that a fish can live for very long time like this but rather painful.

Taking in account what happened to the tub with the defect filter and the dirt accumulation in the tub. But the fish indeed just kept on living and also eating. The whole story kinda added up... Thus after 3 weeks no improvement in it's condition i decided to euthanise this fish. But it really suffered a severe scoliosis making it hard for it to swim properly. Even looking at it kinda did hurt.

Anyway it wasn't the only fish in the tub, but the only 1 of the +10 affected. The others were just fine and never showed anything out of the ordinary after a water change and all was fixed again all still are living a happy life today. Thus for a fish being extra susceptible for this could be a genetic thing... That i do not know.. Only can tell this one was while the others stayed unharmed.
 
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