Question About Fish Tb.

I had two guppies that were born last year in my summer tub that I euthanized last week because I thought they had TB. One day fine, next day vent spine. I freaked out and euthanized her. Next day the other one was all bent too!

The thing is, I don’t get how they could’ve gotten TB? There haven’t been any new fish added to their tank in months. The newest fish both seem totally fine. No one has died in that tank in months either!

The last fish that died was a pristela tetra. It was a skinny one, so I wonder if it had that and they ate it? I never did find a body of it. Other than this I’ve had zero issues with fish deaths. I did have a Pygmy Corydora die yesterday, but I thought that it could’ve been stress from moving tanks. They moved from one tank to another so I could do a GBA treatment. All fish moved together to a cycled tank that didn’t have any other fish in it.

I should’ve take photos but I didn’t. Is it possible that they just had bent spines from giving birth and I panicked? No other fish show any signs of sickness.

 

I have seen the bent spine thing after giving birth. When I was line breeding them once it started happening I ended up adding some new fish. I think they getting too inbred by then. Tb is pretty rare and most of the suspected cases once put under a microscope was actually a strain of columnaris.

 

A bent spine doesn't necessarily mean fish TB. It could be another type bacteria or intestinal parasite. The problem could also be a latent genetic weakness. Pretty common these days due to inbreeding.
No need to nuke the tank with meds. Keep the tank especially clean and quickly remove any fish displaying symptoms.

 

I felt so bad euthanizing then but I saw pictures and though that that was what it was. I wish I waited to see if it had adjusted itself. The 3rd female looked a bit off today but then about an hour or so later was back in perfect shape.

In 16 years I’ve never had a case of TB in my aquariums. I just wanted to be sure that if that was what it was, and if they died, the others wouldn’t eat their bodies catch it and cause an epidemic.

I feel even stupider because I have a Rasbora that has a bent spine, but his tail is tilted up like a V, and I never worried about him. I just assumed it was a breeding problem.

 

Mine didn't change back so I culled them since I didn't want them to breed. Why pass on a genetic thing. Even a bacterial thing its good to remove the effected fish so you didn't necessarily do a bad thing. With guppies I was in the 50% or so cull rate and that was simply unwanted coloration.

 

The Mycobacterium that can infect fish cannot cause tuberculosis and are classified as NTMs (nontuberculous mycobacterium). They also exist in all water, even tap water. How did you get it? You always had it.

 

Tonight when I went to check the fish before lights out I found the last of the female guppies in a rock crevice breathing heavily and ballooned up. She is pine coning and clearly has dropsy. No one else in the tank has shown any issues or illness (though a pygmy cory did randomly die last week) but the female guppies. The three were all related. Two were sisters and one was the daughter of one of them. I wonder if it was a genetic disposition to have dropsy / other illnesses. They were feeder guppies, so not the best stock. The male feeder guppies that I have, I have had for well over a year without any issue though. So now I know know it wasn't TB, but rather something else, perhaps genetics?