Tail Damage

[conner2008]

Hi all im new here so let me introduce myself, my name is conner and my girlfriend owns tropical fish, there pritty awesome but today one named after me (well actually about 30 minutes ago) was hiding in an odd place, he was between a leaf and a filter trapped against the side, i let him free ofcourse and he was attacked by every fish he went by before he retreated fast as anything back to the entraped leaf between the filter.

on closer inspection his tail is badly damaged, alot of it looks to have been chewed off (the fish that attacked him did directly attack his tail as he tried to get away) ive obviously stopped this, i put the fish net about 80% in the water and 20%out with him in it to prevent the other fish being able to get to him and they seem to still try, this seems odd for an animal that has a brain the size of a grain of sand, but now his safe im and fed im wondering will he get better and re-grow his tail it doesnt really matter how long it takes his fine where he is has enought room to swim, has heat, lighting, and all the food he needs to himself (no competition) but it will grow back right? and will he always be under attack? i'll update pics soon his not small but his not big, (there are alot smaller fish in the water)
I highly appreciate the fact that you took the time to read this and i will be grateful if you reply i and my girlfriend will be extemely grateful.
thanks again.
conner

 

[stang1]

Hi Conner and welcome to the forum.
Just a couple of questions so that we can help sort it out for you.
What type of fish is he and what are your other fish?
How big is your tank?

 

[conner2008]

Hi, and thank you for your reply it is highly highly appreciated that you took the time to reply.
He is a guppy
he is in with
angle fish
black widows
a couple more guppys
zebra and leopard daneas (think thats how you spell it)
lots of little red and blue neon fish
and two "glow tips"
i dont know the exact measurment of the tank as i dont have a measuring tape to hand but i would say its your average size tank, not big
the fish dont look crowded but there are quite a few in there they do chase eachother alot.
thanks again.

 

[stang1]

If you can give us a rough idea of tank size, it would certainly help as you may be a little overstocked.
There's a good chance that the Black Widow Tetras or Danios have nipped at your Guppy as they are both prone to fin nipping.
If he has been seperated, then you can treat him with medication to help heal his fin. Clean water will also help prevent it from turning into finrot which can lead to him losing his tail completely.
With the right medication, plenty of water and no nippy fish there's no reason his tail shouldn't grow back.

 

[conner2008]

If you can give us a rough idea of tank size, it would certainly help as you may be a little overstocked.
There's a good chance that the Black Widow Tetras or Danios have nipped at your Guppy as they are both prone to fin nipping.
If he has been seperated, then you can treat him with medication to help heal his fin. Clean water will also help prevent it from turning into finrot which can lead to him losing his tail completely.
With the right medication, plenty of water and no nippy fish there's no reason his tail shouldn't grow back.

Thank you, youve been a great help, would it be worth putting him back into the tank afterwards because if i do he will probably get nipped again, i might put a small breeding tank on the side on the water where he can permanently in the back,
what medicine would you recommend?
thanks you again.

 

[stang1]

There is one by Interpet but I can never remember the name. I used Pimafix combined with Melafix to treat one of my fish which worked fine. Although it doesn't necessarily cure finrot, it does help to prevent it.
I wouldn't add him back to the tank as it is likely to happen again. I also wouldn't keep him in a breeding net as it's not fair on the fish long term.
Without knowing how big your tank is, it's hard to suggest what would be the best course of action.

 

[conner2008]

There is one by Interpet but I can never remember the name. I used Pimafix combined with Melafix to treat one of my fish which worked fine. Although it doesn't necessarily cure finrot, it does help to prevent it.
I wouldn't add him back to the tank as it is likely to happen again. I also wouldn't keep him in a breeding net as it's not fair on the fish long term.
Without knowing how big your tank is, it's hard to suggest what would be the best course of action.

Hmm, would a tank inside the tank like this be okay? it wouldnt take up that much room?

 

[stang1]

It would be ok for a temporary tank but not for a long term home. It would be easier to put him in a tank by himself while you are treating him and decide what to do with him, once he's recovered.

 

[conner2008]

It would be ok for a temporary tank but not for a long term home. It would be easier to put him in a tank by himself while you are treating him and decide what to do with him, once he's recovered.

damn, this is hard, you see if he goes in a tank alone he needs a heater, we only have one, is there any way he could be happy in there? if i got a big enought one he could have maybe a plant in there some gravel
currently he is just in one of these:

he is gonna have to be in there for atleast a week, do you think this could have any major problems? its alot better than the alternate option of letting him go and hope for the best.
thanks again

 

[stang1]

Guppies can survive in cooler water temperatures without problems from what I understand. If the tank is in a room that maintains the same temperature, then he'll probably be ok. If you are a little worried, you can always wrap a towel around the tank as a temporary measure, just keep an eye on the temperature.

 

[WILDER]

Chewed fins can heal on there own in good water quality.
Melafix to stop the fins getting infected.
Melafix is no good on bacterial finrot, melafix is only good when the fins start to heal to stop them getting infected.

 

[conner2008]

Okay thanks, is there any particular reason why the fish wouldnt be okay where he is for the next week? he has room to swim and stuff, just general wondering now, youve been great if only everyone was as helpful as you wede live in a better place,

 

[stang1]

If he's kept in the breeding trap, then you'd end up treating the whole tank and not just the Guppy. Although, the other fish would be fine with the treatment, you are going to be using a lot more than is necessary if he was in a smaller tank.
Although I'm a firm believer in Melafix/Pimafix, as Wilder said, good water quality should help his fin heal.

 

[conner2008]

Thanks for everything, i hope you have a good night (both of you) and are happy with yourselves as youve probably saved him from some nasty situations as i dont know alot about fish but i hate seeing things suffer regardless of what it is.

 

[stang1]

No problem at all and I wish him a speedy recovery!
Never be afraid to ask questions, that's what the site is for. Remember, we all had to start somewhere and you'll be giving advice before you know it!