My Male Swordtail's "swordtail" Was Ripped Off

[FWFishLover]

came home to find my male neon swordtail's "swordtail" and a huge piece from the middle of his spinal fin. my best guess is he was attacked by my jewel cichlid (which i had put in a new tank and by now taken back to the LFS i got it from). he fortunately lived and i know will recover due to various forums about other fish's fins being ripped of by other fish a a filter. My question is how long will the recovery process take and and what will his fins look like as it grows back and what steps i need to take to make it easier for him. also i really want to buy more fish. NO cichlids of course. just some livebearers, but was wondering if it was a bad idea due to his current condition.



Thank You

 

[hughessomefish]

humm can i see a pic ?

 

[Blade510]

based on my experiences with fin damage, the recovery time depends on how bad the damage is. it could be a few days to a few weeks, longer for more severe damage. exactly how much of the tail and fins were taken off?
as far as adding more fish, it depends on their temperament. if they are fin nippers, then they may go after him just because he is hurt, but with most non aggressive fish it shouldn't be a problem

 

[FWFishLover]

based on my experiences with fin damage, the recovery time depends on how bad the damage is. it could be a few days to a few weeks, longer for more severe damage. exactly how much of the tail and fins were taken off?
as far as adding more fish, it depends on their temperament. if they are fin nippers, then they may go after him just because he is hurt, but with most non aggressive fish it shouldn't be a problem

The entire tailfin was ripped of and 33% (from the middle) of his spinal fin was ripped off. although i notice what might be muscle growing on the end of the tailfin.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi FWFishLover

With an injury like that, it would be best to wait a while, at least until you are sure that the fins and tail are healing, before adding new fish. Since you will want to prevent an infection or fungus setting in on the damaged edges, keep the water as clean and well aerated as possible. If you add more fish too soon, it might cause an increase in ammonia or nitrite while your beneficial bacteria is increasing to accommodate them.

I've recently added some swordtails to my tanks and their tails look kind of fragile to me. I'll be interested to see what kind of additional information you get about this.

I hope your fish recovers quickly.