Fin Nipping On A Siamese Fighting Fish

[reaydickinson]

Hi,

just been given some fish from my local supplier in back payment.

They are some Platy's and two serpae tetra's

Since there introduction two days ago, the fins on my Siamese Fighting fish have been shredded,

I can assum that none of the other fish are responsible as they have all lived together quite happliy for several years.

Which fish is most likely to be responsible, also will the fins grow back.

Please advise, Thank you

 

[craig855s]

you'll need to seperate them or the betta will be killed through stress/pain

Either get the betta its own tank or get rid of the offender, my platys have never nipped fins of anything but i dont know if serpae tetras are nippy or not?

 

[Davo86]

Serpaes are notorious fin nippers
Yes the fins will repair

Bettas shouldn't be kept in community tanks though for this very reason

 

[Forestpisces]

I agree the betta will be much happier in a 5gall heated and filtered tank of his own

 

[aly_starh]

One of my bettas, Lunar is in a community tank, living there happily!
the other three are in a big divided tank.

I would also say the serpae tetra is the culprit.

Get a seperate tank for the betta, 3Gmin. Make sure its in a warm room, if you dont have a heater, they like 27C, and if you dont have a filter daily water changes of 75% are needed. IMO, get a heater and filter to save the hassle.

As for repairing the fins now, put him in another tank, and do daily water changes to keep water really clean to avoid infection. Aquarium salt would be good to keep the water sterile.

Hope he gets better soon!

 

[reaydickinson]

Thank you all,

I have just witnessed the two Serpae Tetras attacking the Fighting fish.


I have just put them into a floating baby tank until tomorrow when I will return them.

Unfortunately I do noy have another tank to put the fighting fish in, but if necessary I will get one as soon as i can.

Thank you all for your advice.

Cheers

 

[GuppyGoddess]

Thank you all,

I have just witnessed the two Serpae Tetras attacking the Fighting fish.


I have just put them into a floating baby tank until tomorrow when I will return them.

Unfortunately I do noy have another tank to put the fighting fish in, but if necessary I will get one as soon as i can.

Thank you all for your advice.

Cheers

You're taking the other fish back and keeping the Betta, right? I agree about using aquarium salt. It helps a lot. With my betta, I used less than 1/2 the recommended amount and his fins look so much better now. He wasn't nipped, but was a bit ill when I brought him home.

Best of luck with your little guy.

 

[GuppyGoddess]

One of my bettas, Lunar is in a community tank, living there happily!
the other three are in a big divided tank.

I would also say the serpae tetra is the culprit.

Get a seperate tank for the betta, 3Gmin. Make sure its in a warm room, if you dont have a heater, they like 27C, and if you dont have a filter daily water changes of 75% are needed. IMO, get a heater and filter to save the hassle.

As for repairing the fins now, put him in another tank, and do daily water changes to keep water really clean to avoid infection. Aquarium salt would be good to keep the water sterile.

Hope he gets better soon!

To add to this: Be sure if you do put your Betta in a seperate tank, that after doing the large water changes, the water temp matches the previous temp before putting the betta back in. With the one I do 100% changes every four days, I take him out, put new water in, adjust the water temp, add the heater back in and then put my betta back. He's in a 2-gallon with a hydro-mini 7.5 watt heater. Temp. is always the same with that heater and the only stress he endures is being stuck back in his store betta cup for about 10 minutes. He always gets blood worms post water-change for a treat. I'd love to have him in a 5-gallon, but my dh has put his foot down regarding adding more tanks.

 

[kelly528]

Whoaaa...

Serpaes are known nippers, but any tetra or danio will become equally as bad with only one other friend of the same species! Shoaling fish should generally be kept in groups of no less than 6. As a general behavior these fish chase and nip their... um... schoolmates(?) incessantly in order to maintain a loose social hierarchy. When isolated, they can and will improvise and try to school with fish of other species, bugging them just like another tetra.

In short, if you can't accomodate at least 6, leave them at the pet store!

 

[Haych]

this really annoys me when people go on a mission and state that "you shouldnt keep fighters in a community tank"

I have, for many years, kept fighters/bettas in a community tank.

i have only ever had ONE with issues, and it was because i put him in FIRST

with regards to your post, i would say the tetras are the nippers, mine nip all the time (i have minnows, neons and harlequins)

 

[kelly528]

this really annoys me when people go on a mission and state that "you shouldnt keep fighters in a community tank"

True. It honestly depends on the personality of the betta and whether the fish's needs all 'fit' with each other... heck--- I keep a female with 6 Zebra danios and a pair of dwarf gouramis!

 

[Oscar Betta]

Like the others said above, remove the betta because the other fish you have in there are fin nippers.

Whenever you put a fish in with a betta, make sure to research it so you can make sure that it is not a fin nipper, is peaceful, and will stay out of the bettas way.