Fish Losing Fins :( :(

[kylealastairlove]

dont know how or why, noticed a couple of my fish have lost fins, one has lost a big chunk from the dorsal fin and on the other there is a chunk out of his tail fin
dont know what happened, cant explain it, thought there may be something wrong with my water but i checked and everything is stable please tell me my fish will regrow the lost parts of their finnage though ??

 

[fluttermoth]

You really need to give us more info before we can help; size of tank, all the occupants and the results of your water tests would be a good start

 

[Fishy friend2]

This sounds like aggression, or fin rot. What's your stocking, and what specific fish are being effected maybe you have an aggresive fish




Fin Rot Information

Symptoms
-Ripped tails, bloodshot, black edged, or has a fuzzy white appearance on the edges of fins
-The fish will become unusually inactive
-Won't eat
-chunks out of tail missing
-Looks pale, and looses lots of color

Causes
This profilic disease is caused by stressful water conditions primarily but here are a few main examples of the conditions it is most likely found in

-Poor water quality with unacceptable amounts of ammonia, along with nitrites and nitrates
-Nippy tankmates
-Incompatible tankmates
-Tailbiting
-Plastic plants ripping fins constantly
-Over feeding
-Over crowding
-Sometimes after a disease, while the bettas immune system is low it can strike unexpectedly

Treatment

This disease is most commonly treated with mainly

-daily water changes of around 25-50 so more diseases dont settle in while the Betta is vulnerable
-a high quality fin rot treatment. Use tetracycline or Ampicillin for the best possible results

Prevention
-Keep the water clean
-don't over feed
-choose the right tankmates
-make sure that the bettas fins are always in the best shape
-keep the water heated
-change the water weekly

 

[kylealastairlove]

fluttermoth, my stats are

ph- 7.6
ammonia- 0
nitrite- 0
nitrate- 10

and my water would be classed as slightly hard. in my tank i only have a betta and 9 trigonostigma espe/hengeli

fishy friend...

i dont know whats causing it but they still seem very active and perfectly coloured up, just their usual selves, the only thing i can possibly think is, when they do all their pre spawning behaviour, and the males chase eachother, maybe they had nipped at eachother to try and fend them off from females? im not sure though ?

oh by the way i should have said it was my other fish's fins ripping not the betta's
i always keep on top of tank maintenance and make sure i get the water changes done
just dont know whats causing this to happen to my fish

 

[fluttermoth]

It is very common for fish to nip at each other when spawning; it's sort of a 'test' to make sure the partner is fit and healthy

My tiger barb shoal spends all spring and early summer with at least one female that's had her tail chewed off

They will grow back quite quickly with good water, which yours is.

Do spend some time watching the tank to make sure it's not the betta though; fish can actually be quite 'sneaky' in that sort of behaviour.

 

[kylealastairlove]

thankyou so much i feel a lot better now after this it was worrying me and kind of bringing me down because i thought their health might deteriorate, but im glad they will grow back and soon be back as normal. thanks for the help

and i shall keep a close eye on my fishys

 

[colleen0309]

I had a problem with my betta losing all of his tail. I couldn't explain it until I watched from a distance. He has the tank all to himself, so agression wasn't an issue. But as soon as I leave the room, he lays on an ornament which is normal, but he was draping his tail around the heater. I moved the heater and his tail has grown back. I don't think I would have figured this out if I didn't trick him and watch when he didn't know I was there. They will behave very different when they think they are alone...sounds like a few teenagers I know.

 

[kylealastairlove]

ahh glad you found out the problem and sorted it, being sneaky must have payed off for you