# Curved spine/tail?



## talialove (Jan 23, 2013)

Hello everyone :] 

I've had my new betta for about a week now, and I already love him to pieces <3 One thing I noticed about him is around 2/3rds down his body he seems to have a little bump, or kind of a curve going on. When he turns or spins around he has to wiggle in an odd way to get there, but besides that he swims fine. He's super active, loves feeding time, and is always coming up to say hi when he sees me come in the room or notices me looking at him. I'm assuming it's an old injury that healed, but I'm wondering if this is something I should be worried about?


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## eatmice2010 (Jan 1, 2013)

Are you able to post a pic?


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## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

This bump/curve? That is normal.. as for turning, some males with really long fins who have been in small containers for a while tend to have a little more difficulty turning/swimming due to their muscles need a bit of a work up to carry their fins in the larger water. Hold a mirror up to him once or twice a day for about 5 minutes to give him some exercise from flaring and it should help him become a bit stronger with swimming.


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

I have a few males who "wiggle" to turn, which has been seen in my males who are trying to turn to get their food, or flaring at something. It can be pretty normal, however a picture would be appreciated for us to make sure  

Most actual bent spine problems are deformities from birth... Making sure the fish can reach the surface, and that he does not have a ton of current to fight against.


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## talialove (Jan 23, 2013)

Myates said:


> This bump/curve? That is normal.. as for turning, some males with really long fins who have been in small containers for a while tend to have a little more difficulty turning/swimming due to their muscles need a bit of a work up to carry their fins in the larger water. Hold a mirror up to him once or twice a day for about 5 minutes to give him some exercise from flaring and it should help him become a bit stronger with swimming.


I got Shiloh at petco and he was in one of those circular cups, so that would make sense. I guess sometimes the way he poses accentuates the curve and makes me worried until he starts swimming straight again. Thanks all for replying! If I did the mirror thing do you think he would associate me at all with the aggressive/defensive feeling? He hasn't really flared at all since I got him; he usually just swims away from stuff he doesn't like. Also another quick question... he seems to miss a lot when he goes after his food, though he does so enthusiastically. I feed him one pellet at a time, and I watch him to make sure he eats at least 2-3 a day. Do you think he just needs practice? Here are some pictures...


The curvies:








Posing:


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## callistra (Jun 29, 2010)

What color is his poop?


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## talialove (Jan 23, 2013)

Its kind of the same color as his food, but a bit lighter. I've been feeding him this by recommendation of the pet store manager --> https://www.google.com/shopping/pro...a=X&ei=3MQAUda8EOr7iwLdm4CoCw&ved=0CHgQ8wIwAA


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## irishcreep (Oct 20, 2012)

My girl's been like that since she was a wee little thing. She's fine though, no problems with it.


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## MollyJean (Dec 29, 2009)

In my opinion it's not something you should worry about. His swim bladder is located in that general area, and he's a double tail. Double-tail bettas can have swim bladder deformities, so it's probably just that. the double-tail trait is a deformity in it'self that has been bred in controlled (and some less then controlled) instances but it causes a lot of shortening of the body and compression and/or bending of the swim bladder. If he's swimming normal then it's not a serious problem.

Your boy has some nice, long fins and a short body, turning might be a little harder for him, even more if he's been cramped in a little cup for a long time, but again, this isn't really a problem. Some of my boys have problems turning and have learned to swim backwards instead.

As for the S shaped curve to his body I see in one of your picture, this can happen if the temperature is too cold or if the water quality has been poor for a while. What temp do you keep his tank, if you don't mind me asking?

Or, it could just be his natural method of swimming, seeing as his body is so short. Unless he's having serious problems moving or eating that you haven't told us about, he looks like a very healthy, happy boy.


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## Blue Fish (Jun 11, 2012)

I've got a boy very similiar to this, double tail and short body, and he scared me in the beginning with the same bending. I actually worried at first that he might have fish TB, and he spent quite some time in quarantine while I got more information.  
My guy swims, and swims, and swims, and swims...he dances for food, moves all around, and he never gets fat like the others...because he's always on the move.  But, like you noticed, he does tend to swim in a more "jerky" fashion, in that he wiggles his body more than the others, and he swims up and down more than side to side. 
It did take my guy some time to learn how to be in the larger tank, mostly how to handle his big, heavy fins. But, once he built up his muscles, he's a happy little guy, never had any problems with him, and he seems to do just fine with his "modified" swimming.  
As for the food, all of mine miss fairly often. If I don't put it in just the right spot, they either ignore it, it sinks before they can catch it, or they bump it with some part of their body and *then* it sinks...and sunken food is just unacceptable.  Floating or nothing! I just vacumn the tank bottom when it starts to look cluttered, or once every couple of weeks during normal water changes to make sure that nothing too much is building up down there. 
You've got a cute little guy!


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

That is definitely normal, like everyone else mentioned


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## talialove (Jan 23, 2013)

MollyJean said:


> As for the S shaped curve to his body I see in one of your picture, this can happen if the temperature is too cold or if the water quality has been poor for a while. What temp do you keep his tank, if you don't mind me asking?


I don't have a thermometer or a heater for him, but we keep the central heater in the apartment on constantly at 70 or higher. Whenever I stick my fingers in the water it doesn't feel very cold. Also I change his water every 2-3 days since he's in a smaller container. 



Blue Fish said:


> As for the food, all of mine miss fairly often. If I don't put it in just the right spot, they either ignore it, it sinks before they can catch it, or they bump it with some part of their body and *then* it sinks...and sunken food is just unacceptable.  Floating or nothing! I just vacumn the tank bottom when it starts to look cluttered, or once every couple of weeks during normal water changes to make sure that nothing too much is building up down there.
> You've got a cute little guy!


Thank you :] Shiloh seems to catch it easier if its in the process of sinking, but he still misses sometimes. And if it reaches the bottom he gives up haha.


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## MollyJean (Dec 29, 2009)

talialove said:


> I don't have a thermometer or a heater for him, but we keep the central heater in the apartment on constantly at 70 or higher. Whenever I stick my fingers in the water it doesn't feel very cold. Also I change his water every 2-3 days since he's in a smaller container.
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you :] Shiloh seems to catch it easier if its in the process of sinking, but he still misses sometimes. And if it reaches the bottom he gives up haha.


70 isn't warm enough. You need a heater in the tank and a thermometer to keep track of it. Your betta is a tropical fish and most keepers agree to between 74 and 82 degrees. I think the S shape you see in your fish is probably a result of the low temp. This is from personal experience.. when my fish get cold either from a power outage, heater malfunction, being set on a counter for a water change or when I've just gotten them from a store or in the mail, they tend to have that S shape to them til the water warms up.

As for you feeling the water and if feels warm.. The sense of temperature is relative to the environment you are in and is a very ineffective way of gauging water temp. If your house is about 70 degrees and the water is 70 degrees.. well it's not going to FEEL cold but to the fish, it is.


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

Actually even 74 is too low. 76 is "okay" but higher is better (78-80)


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## MollyJean (Dec 29, 2009)

Really depends on who you ask. I personally keep mine at 77-78, but a lot of pre-set heaters only go up to 74, and that's just fine, in my opinion. And I've met those who keep their bettas at 82-84.

Either way, talialove, room temp is a bad idea. You want a heater that'll keep the water at a steady, tropical level and a thermometer to keep track of it.

I'm curious, is your fish very active, or does it stay on the bottom/top and rest a lot?


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## talialove (Jan 23, 2013)

He's seems very active to me, much more so than the betta I had a few years ago. He swims through his log a lot and always checks out what I'm doing when he sees me moving around or looking at him. His bowl is on my desk and next to my bed, so when I'm home he sees me constantly. And he's been building bubble nests, too. I know it's best to have a heated tank, though, and I hope to be able to get something in the summer.


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## MollyJean (Dec 29, 2009)

Just make sure he's in a warm room and away from the breeze of a window or door and hope he stays healthy til you get a heater. I know money can make things harder.  If you ever go to thrift stores, look for tanks and heaters there. I find them all the time. Just make sure anything you buy second hand is washed, cleaned, scrubbed and washed again. And test any heater you get second hand before placing it in a tank with a live fish!


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

I agree with thrift shops - handiest places ever :lol: Even check kijiji, and if FB has a "buy and sell pets" in your area, you can probably find something there.


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## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

Bump is definitely normal and he waggles a bit due to being a double tail - which is technically a deformity and the fish aren't made to be like that, so some may have to work a bit harder to turn/swim. 

Keep in mind the water temp (depending upon size of tank) will be anywhere from 3-5 degrees colder than room temp - so 70 room temp you are looking at 65-67 water temp which is 10+ degrees colder than what they need.. and that is a BIG deal in fish world. Long exposure to cold water can cause health issues such as lower immunity, slow metabolism, shorter life, etc. So you will want to have a heater for him if you wish for him to live a long, healthy life. Presets it depends on brand/watt - I would go no less than a 25w preset to keep a tank 1-3 gallons at the correct temp. 50w for 4+ gallons. His activity level will decrease over time.. by summer it won't be as necessary - it's these cold months now that they need it the most. Can buy a Tetra 25w preset heater at Walmart for less than $20 and they work just fine.

Good luck


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