Torn Tail

[Katster]

a week after my late betta gerome passed, i introduced salvador into my tropical tank. he seems really happy being in the warm filtered water but he is tearing his tail up and im wondering if it could be stress or the current from the filter thats doing it? he hardly has any butterfly colouring left in his tail! theres a coupleo f his tank mates in the photo. he dosnt seem to be bothered by them at all, i have 2 dwarf gourami and 4 golden pencilfish. suggestions anyone?

 

[lisie]

It looks like he's either getting nipped by other fish or he's doing it to himself... I'd definitely take him out of the community tank and get him his own little tank. Especially since you have gouramis in there, because they generally don't get along with bettas since they're so closely related, although it does depend on the individual fish. Still not a good idea though.

 

[Katster]

the gouramis seem more scared of him than he does of them, i had gerome in there for a year and he was always fine, although gerome was only a veiltail, could the extra weight of salvador being a delta contribute to it being easily torn?

 

[catxx]

those do look more like tail bites than being torn to me.
and i would put it down to the gourami, he's a new fish in their territory, who knows what happens when the lights are off in the dead of night...

 

[Katster]

will they all settle down after a while? or is it not like introducing cats to each other... 2 second memory and all... ARGH fish!.. ok swim away... ARGHHHHH FISH!... lap the tank again... ARGH!

right i think i need sleep....

 

[Bloo]

Looks like a tailbiter to me! Some (most) males are not community fish. And it will probably just get worse. At best he might tolerate the gourami company - but appreciate it, he wont.

Best to provide a seperate home for the lad

those do look more like tail bites than being torn to me.
and i would put it down to the gourami, he's a new fish in their territory, who knows what happens when the lights are off in the dead of night...

I highly doubt it's the gourami. The betta isn't going to hang around much for such uniform bites. Those are self inflicted (in my opinion).