help, my loach seems to be deformed(?)

[ham&tomato]

hello, i was wondering if anyone could help me... i have had my weather loach
(Scientific Name: Misgurnus angullicaudatus - Other Names: Dojo Loach, Weatherfish -Family: Cobitidae -Origin: Asia, China, Korea, Japan)
for about a year and it is roughly 3inches.

However, it has growen differently to other weather laches i have seen. mine has a miss shaped body and looks crinkled or croaked.
Is this normal?:roll:

Also it seems to have changed tone since i have had it... its colour/tone has gotten lighter over the past few weeks... what does this mean? is this normal?:roll:

can you help me?
thanks

[Diana]

Hi ham & tomato, welcome to Loaches.
A distorted body may be due to any of a few different things:

Genetic: For whatever reason this fish is simply deformed. If the genetic aberration was long fins, or an interesting color you might have the beginnings of a new strain. Unfortunately it sounds like your fish is not a good possibility for this.

Nutritional: Especially as a juvenile, when they are growing the fastest, fish need a lot of minerals and vitamins. If this fish did not get these then he can't grow properly. It might be a problem with the breeder not feeding the fry correctly, or this fish might have been too shy to grab enough food, or this fish might have a genetic problem and cannot process and utilize food properly.

Disease: There may be some disease that does this. A fish with intestinal parasites may not be able to digest and benefit from the food it eats. Usually the result is a skinny fish, not so often a distorted body.

Injury: If the fish was injured and did not heal right this might create a condition like you see.

Loss of color: Many fish talk to other fish with color. What other fish are in the tank?
Fish will often lose color when they are not feeling well.
Different foods contribute to the colors of fish. Make sure you are feeding a wide range of foods, especially foods like shrimp (pink) and orange vegetables (yams, squash). Spirulina algae is another good one.

[ham&tomato]

hello Diana, Thankyou for your reply...

loss of colour: there are two other fish in the tank, but i dont know which type. i have been told they are small pond fish...one is yellow and the other is white and orange.
Why feed them orange foods? what does that do?

Disformed body: I feed them blood worms or shrimp, so im not sure lol. However i have recently been studing my Loach and it seems that it is straighting its self out, but its still pail.

it would be easyer if they just spock english!