Timesdragonfly

i just brought home three bloodfin tetras. one of the bloodfins looks like it's "wasting away" it's head looks fine, but right past the head, there is a indention in it's body, and it looks thin over all. When i first saw him, i though another fish had taken a bit out from under his jaw. but the area isn't red or open or anything.
any thoughts at what this may be
~J~

chickadee

I would quarantine him right away from the rest of the fish. It is a bit too soon to tell without more information, but there are some very serious things that it may be and you do not want the rest of them getting it. (I do hope that you quarantine all your fish purchases when you bring them home rather than just introducing them into your tank) I would maybe even consider taking that one back to the store where you got him and making them replace him.

Rose

Timesdragonfly

I didn't quarantee them b/c I bought all of them from the same place and the only fish I already had were two green cat fish. I'll take him back after work tonight.. what might it be?
~j~

chickadee

With them being tetras I am not as sure as if they were Bettas but tetras have some odd problems that are particular to their species. I could not begin to track down just one from the information we know so far but none of them are particularly good.
Let me see if someone that has some tetras will give us more information.

Rose

0morrokh

What exactly does the fish look like? different coloration, behavior, swimming or not, feeding or not, etc etc Is the fish sort of listless and floating at the top or sitting on the bottom?
It is really important to diagnose what the problem is whether or not you keep the sick fish since he has come in contact with others.
Oh btw not to scare you or anything, but be really careful in handling this fish because one of the main symptoms of fish TB is wsting away...not to say that this is what the fish has, there is not enough info to tell, but you should know that in rare occasions fish TB can spread to humans as a skin infection...so just be careful until the fish is diagnosed. Also keep track of what the fish comes into contact with so it can be sterilized. TB is very rare and the fish could have any number of diseases, but just be careful until we know for sure.
Oh also, is there a possibility the fish is just deformed or something?

Timesdragonfly

It is possible that he is deformed... who knows. he is eating well and swiming fine... at least he seems to be when i get a peek at him.. we are experiencing an alege bloom right now, and the hole tank is green! ugh! I didn't take him back.. should have prolly, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. he looks like he's doing okay.

0morrokh

Well, as long as he is eating and swimming then I doubt he has any serious disease. It is quite possible he is just deformed. A lot of mass-produced fish like tetras can be prone to deformities. Just watch him carefully for any disease symptoms.