My Silvertip Catshark Hurt Himself

[pkppv]

My silvertip catshark/colombian shark/ blackfin catfish/so many other names injured himself today. I noticed his pectoral fin had gotten stuck in the filter opening, and since the fins of this species are so rigid (as is the case with many catfish), he was quite stuck. When i noticed him he was thrashing around a lot and looked close to death. I freed him as soon as i noticed, and now he is swimming around like nothing is wrong. The only problem is that he keeps his left pectoral fin closer to his body than the left, and there is a small nick missing from the webbing of that fin. Maybe....15-20% of the webbing is missing. There is no sign of bleeding or bodily harm so i dont think there is any chance of infection. Will this heal on its own? Should i give him some melafix? How long do fish injuries generally take to heal?

 

[nmonks]

What sort of conditions is this Colombian Shark being kept in?

When kept in freshwater, they don't live for long, and even minor problems can cause death through stress and secondary infections. Most specimens that die prematurely are killed by their owners through maintenance in freshwater rather than bacterial or fungal infections. It needs brackish or marine conditions, SG 1.010 at 25 C/77 F upwards.

So what's the salinity of this system?

Cheers, Neale

My silvertip catshark/colombian shark/ blackfin catfish/so many other names injured himself today. I noticed his pectoral fin had gotten stuck in the filter opening, and since the fins of this species are so rigid (as is the case with many catfish), he was quite stuck. When i noticed him he was thrashing around a lot and looked close to death. I freed him as soon as i noticed, and now he is swimming around like nothing is wrong. The only problem is that he keeps his left pectoral fin closer to his body than the left, and there is a small nick missing from the webbing of that fin. Maybe....15-20% of the webbing is missing. There is no sign of bleeding or bodily harm so i dont think there is any chance of infection. Will this heal on its own? Should i give him some melafix? How long do fish injuries generally take to heal?