Fin Nippers!

[M'al-finny]

I recently lost my beautiful betta to a filter accident. I had suspected he'd been getting nipped since his return from the hospital tank, but I never could catch anyone doing it.

Now that he's gone, one of my black phantom tetras has NO TAIL and his dorsal fins have been severely chewed!! He's cowering under a piece of decor ... I will put him and a couple of buddies in the hospital tank after work tonight.

I assume, however, that the fin-nipper (I suspect a danio!) will continue to move on to other tetras.

I suppose I should isolate the fin-nipper once I find him? I didn't want to run two tanks permanently.

What should I do?

 

[SJ2K]

First off tell us what fish you have in there and how large the aquarium is

 

[darkwolf29a]

First off tell us what fish you have in there and how large the aquarium is

Could be lots of fish, honestly.

What types you got?
How big is the tank?

The more details you can give us, the easier and better the help becomes.

 

[jennybugs]

Black phantom tetra....they be quite shirty with each other. I have a shoal of 6 and it turns out I have 4 males and 2 females. The males compete with each other so much that they all end up with their fins tattered from time to time. I treat them with melafix and they heal well.

It doesn't mean your fish isn't being bullied from some other angle, but that's what I have observed with mine.

 

[M'al-finny]

Tank: 55 gallon (4 ft long x 1 ft deep x 2 ft high)
Fish:
- 5 pearl danios
- 6 black phantom tetras
- 2 corys

I need more fish; I recently lost 2 danios and a male betta in unrelated incidents. I asked the LFS if 2 corys would be OK, and they assured me no problem. I will get more corys when possible.

The reason I suspect a fish is because while the betta was in there (truly a placid soul) the phantoms were all in great shape (for about 2 months together.)

 

[darkwolf29a]

Yeah, definitely get more cories. Personally, I love them anyways, but...you should have 6, at least.

Tetras are nippy, so that's a good bet. Honestly, the more the merrier with them, so mabye a few more???

 

[CrashingWaves]

I would definately suggest getting a few more corydoras, you really can't go wrong with them. In the six years I've kept fish I've never had any of the larger schooling fish species such as danios or neons, or anything of the sort. Why, I really don't know, they've just never held that much interest to me. Generally from what I've heard though tetras tend to be nippy.

God Bless,
Joshua