Danio w/ bad tail :-(

[juliethegr8t]

Well here's the deal. I've got a 10 gallon tank which had 2 Zebra Danios and a small Green Tiger Barb in it. I just went and bought 2 more Zebras, this time long finned, and also 2 long finned Leopard Danios. One of the new Zebras seems to have come with a problem, however. He is very listless to begin with, but when I looked closely at him, about 1/3 of the bottom of his tail is gone, it looks like it has been bitten off. I am almost positive this didn't happen on the way home from the pet store. Anyways, the other fish are picking on him now and I don't know if I should take the time to do anything for him if he will die anyway? Before when I've had dying fish I've put them in a jar with a breathable lid in the same tank, so that they can't be bullied (I don't have a seperate isolation tank). Any suggestions of what I should do, or should I just leave him alone? I've lost a lot of fish because yes I'm a beginner (though I've done tons of reading), and this is a new tank. Most of fish haven't been able to adapt to the high levels of nitrites. However, the 3 I had left are doing great and I think I'm well on my way to a full cycle. Thanks for any help!!

 

[val]

You do need to treat this, but isolating the victim isn't quite right. You need to isolate the bullies. This way, they learn not to mess with him and you have time for the victim fish to heal. Considering how many bullies there are, you might have to get a tank divider or a seperate, smaller tank for the bullies. There are several medicines that reduce stress and help to rebuild the natural slime coating so that he can heal that tail as much as he can. Something from the company Maracyn, Maracyn-Two might help.

That's about all I know,
Valerie

P.S.
sometimes a gentle nudge back with the net can also help from nips.