Inspired by yesterday's post about the ancient Ember Tetra, and to fulfill my promise to post a picture of Spud the malformed Sterbai Cory, I decided to start a new thread for us all to share photos and stories of our beloved genetic mishaps, freaky fish and other oddballs.
Although they are usually culled by breeders, some do slip through the mazes of selection and as a result numerous fish keepers have (or had) fish that did not quite pass all the checks on the species spec sheet. And while obviously disadvantaged and generally not as hardy as their normal counterparts, some still manage to live full lives to old age against all odds. And who wouldn't root for them do to well?
So, share your photos and stories so we can celebrate our beloved oddballs, weirdos and freaks.
To kick off I attached some (blurry, since the little effer won't stay still) photos of my potato-shaped Sterbai Cory called Spud. He has a short, malformed spine, stubby pectoral and dorsal fins, a tiny tail and a comparatively massive head (admittedly, I may have oversold his condition a little, but that doesn't make him any less of a cute little freak). At first, he seemed to struggle, but after a few weeks he started to brighten up and gain confidence, and now he's happily zooming around with his friends and always the first to appear at the dining table. Go Spud!
Posted by Judazzz