No tail fish

Question
I have had fantails and comets in our pond for years.  They reproduce often but last fall I got a number of fish that have no tails, they look like a orange sunfish.  I am not sure if I should weed they poor little guys out or not.  They seem to be doing well, any thoughts?

Answer
Hi Sandi,
  When you say "I got a number of fish..." do you mean that when your existing fish reproduced, this is what the offspring looked like or do you mean that you bought some fish that looked like this?

  It is up to you as to whether to "weed them out" or not.  
Personally, I certainly wouldn't sell them or give them to anyone else.
I suspect that in the pond, eventually the lack of a tail is going to catch up to them and they will get "weeded out" on their own.

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
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