Split Fins?

[benjoey]

Are split fins a sign of disease?

One of my new bronze cory has a split dorsal fin, not all the way to the bottom about a half to a third of the way down. Is this a sign of disease or any other problems? the fish is acting and feeding normally and I can see no inflamation or redness

 

[Athena]

Sometimes fins can get caught on rocks/ornaments/caves/wood etc causing a little split that soon heals up with regular water changes. As it's a cory, I should ask what type of substrate you have - gravel or sand?

Another reason is aggressive behaviour in the tank - being chased, butted, nipped at by another fish...you would have to monitor the tank for a while to see if there is any of this going on and, if there is, it might need a bit of rehoming to be done if it is constant bullying.

Some people use half-doses of Melafix to help heal ragged or split fins, which I have also used and found it very good (but it's not good for all fish so you need to check that out before using it), or you can use an anti-bacterial (e.g. Myxazin) if the problem seems to be getting worse rather than better.

Regards, Athena

 

[benjoey]

I have sand, and the only other fish are harlequins and a bristlenose plec, so I dont think it would be them, could it be one of the other corys? So will it heal back to normal or will there always be a split?

 

[Athena]

Yes, splits can heal up with the proper care - as mentioned, water changes help a lot (and prevent the split from developing secondary problems like fin rot) and the medications I mentioned also can aid in the healing process.

Can't be sure what's caused it so I'd say regular monitoring to see if you spot anything untoward going on.

Do you have rocks or other ornaments in the tank? What type of plants do you have?

Athena

 

[Tizer]

if im not mistaken, some cory fins go tatty naturally...dont quote me on that though

 

[benjoey]

there is bogwood, java ferns and anubias in the tank. Im hoping it happened before I got it a week ago, no signs of problem getting worse. So i'll hope it starts to heal soon