How Do The Pectoral Fin Feeler Thingies Break - Attack Only?

[upNdown]

I bought a pearl gourami for my community tank and he came with one pectoral fin (is that what we call those feeler thingies?) about half the length of the other.  That was a few weeks ago.  I just noticed that now his other one is chopped off to about the same length.  Is there any way this could happen besides another fish attacking?  I've never seen any other fish go after him.  He chases the dwarf gourami occasionally, but they never seem to actually fight.  I guess the only other suspect could be the goldskirt tetras, because they have a reputation for being nippy, but I've never seen any of them nipping the pearl gourami.  Other tankmates are a few swordtails, a few madagascar rainbow fish, a bunch of neons, and a very small pleco (not sure which kind.)

 

[DreamertK]

  Poor guy! I'm not sure they grow back either.
 
Probably the tetras, even if you've never seen them nip, they could be nipping while your not around or at night. Fish can be self conscious. Since the fin is completely gone, I'd say it was another fish. One of my gourami's was damaged when he swam into an ornament, but it just looked broken for a while...

 

[Tongue_Flicker]

Hmm.. that's tricky.. normally when a gourami gets bullied and harassed excessively, their feelers are usually the only fins untouched and all other fins, well torn. I don't know if their feelers could catch fin rot either

 

[DreamertK]

Sometimes during worm feeding frenzy, their fins can appear to be similar to worms to other fish.

 

[upNdown]

Just to be precise, fish addict, the fin is half gone (which matches the other one) not completely gone.  What was that comment about fish being self conscious supposed to mean?  Are you suggesting that a fish might do this to himself, to even things off? 
Also, everything I've read suggests that these fins do grow back.
 
Tongue flicker, as I said, this pearl doesn't seem to be getting bullied at all - he's a minor aggressor with the dwarf gourami, and the dwarf has chased him back a few times, but if I had to guess, I'd guess that it happened during a feeding frenzy, like fish addict suggested.  Although I would think it would take some significant force to sheer that fin clean in half.

 

[DreamertK]

The other fish wont attack unless your not in the room. It'll heal but there'll be a noticable lump where it was originally broken off.