A while ago I recieved a large number of mixed cichlid species all in the one bag. I had no context or history of the specimens, so I’d just assumed perhaps someones tank had had a major failure. Once clearing and staining the skeleton though it was clear that all of the 50+ specimens in the batch all exhibited the same crooked spine.

I’d love to hear from anyone who might know whats going on here! My assumption is that it could be genetic due to inbreeding, or possibly because of the tank conditions and health of the population.

Whatever the case, these are certainly interesting specimens, and I’ve never seen such a pronounced pathology present in such a large group.