I just checked on Skinny

[Karah's_Mommy]

I was just peeking in on Skinny's tank ... and his entired left side pectoral fin is completely gone!! I've looked back at all his pics I've taken since I got him to be sure that this just isn't something I've overlooked before, but I think I see the fin in one of the shots. He's always had trouble turning and I blamed it on him being so skinny that his body just bends more than others. Any ideas on what could have happened? He only has a silk plant in his tank. His only room mate is a snail. I can't for the life of me think of how he would lose and entire fin.

 

[Saucy]

Any plastic plants?? Anything he could have caught his fin on? Or could be fin rot... although I haven't really heard about it attacking the pectoral fins first...

 

[Synirr]

Or could be fin rot... although I haven't really heard about it attacking the pectoral fins first...

I've had it happen in some of my older fish who had fish TB and the severe finrot that goes along with it. I'm almost positive it wouldn't start on pectoral fins, though.

It sounds like some kind of trauma, like he ripped it off somehow. Is there anything he could have caught it on? What kind of substrate is in his tank?
The good news is that it will grow back just like all over fins... when I returned my Marie Antoinette (midas hybrid) to the petshop for a while a big ol' pacu bit half of one of her pectorals off, but it's whole again now.

 

[Karah's_Mommy]

He has a gravel substrate, but it's the smaller kind of gravel, so it's pretty smooth. The only way I can think that he could have hurt it is during a water change. I'm starting to think he might not have had the fin, with the way he struggles to turn in his tank. I just can't believe that I wouldn't have noticed it until now. I'm just stumped. I'm doing water changes tonight, and about to do his tank. I'm gonna put in a pinch of salt and stress coat when I'm done. I'm also treating Shred for popeye. GGRRrrrrr It's not a good fishy week for me, heh.

 

[BettaMomma]

Are you 100% sure it's gone, and not that he's just holding it in really really close to his body?

 

[Karah's_Mommy]

All I can see is the tiny little stub where the fin should be attached to his body

 

[BettaMomma]

Aww, dang.
Well the good news is that fins can grow back really fast.
Hang in there!

 

[50000_tears]

stary has a hole in hers and she has always had it(she came to me w/ it) but she is fine (besides being crazy!)