Fin nipping and permant damage

[goldfish freak]

I find that my fish are constantly chasing each other around and nipping at each other as they do this. This usually results in small to sometimes large splits in their fins. The split fins will heal in a few days, but this keeps happening over and over again. Will this constant splitting cause any permanent damage to their fins?

[Sumpin'fishy]

I have aggro cichlids, and frequently get a few cuts in their fins. I use melafix when it looks anything more than a minor scrape. They have healed up fine so far...

[Hammerman]

Originally posted by Sumpin'fishy
I have aggro cichlids, and frequently get a few cuts in their fins. I use melafix when it looks anything more than a minor scrape. They have healed up fine so far...

I have to second that approach, I do the same when the fins start to get ragged. They heal up just fine.
:D

[OrionGirl]

The bigger threat is that the opening will become infected. Depending on the fish, I'd try and split them up, or provide dithers to reduce aggression.

Outside of mating, serious aggression is usually a sign of territory issues--too many fish in too small a space, or not enough hiding areas. Increasing the available 'turf' might help a bit. I usually want the numbr of hiding places to exceed the number of fish by 4 or 5, so they can each pick a spot.

[goldfish freak]

They are monos so they need to stay in a group. I don't think that the amount of space is an issue at the moment. It might possibly be that there is only one real hiding place, and there are four fish. I did not think of that when I planned my tank. I will give the fish at least one available hiding spot each when I move them to my larger tank which will be soon. Thanks for the tips.

[RTR]

Monos don't make much use of refuges IME. Excessive nipping usually means insufficient numbers or insufficient space or both for these fish.

[goldfish freak]

Hmmm... I wonder. RTR as you may know I have 4 mono sebaes. They currently measure from 3 3/4 to 5 3/4 inches in total height. They are housed in a 40 gallon tank that measures 36" long by 18" wide by 15" tall. I began to notice nipping approximately 2 months ago when they were about an 1 1/2 smaller each. Since then it has gotten worse and is now quite constant. I will be moving these fish to a 120 gallon tank, measuring 48" x 24" x 24" in mid january, then to a 6 foot long 215 gallon. Do you think that the increased space will alleviate this problem or would I need to increase the number of fish as well? If so, how many more would you suggest? Thank you.

[Sumpin'fishy]

I don't know anything about those specific fish, but what I have seen common to schooling/group fish is that they prefer a larger group. I've heard Tiger Barbs do better in groups of 6-8 or more, Frontosas do better in groups of 5-6 or more, Tetras, Corys, etc. I personally would probably double your number and get about 8 if they are grouping fish. Any other advice from someone experienced with this particular fish?

[goldfish freak]

I am reluctant to get more of these fish because they grow quite large. They can grow to over a foot in height, and 8 of these fish would need a huge tank. I like to be cautious when it comes to stocking levels and I predict that I will not be able to afford a tank larger than 215 gallons for quite a long time. From what I understand of these fish a 215 gallon tank would be "pushing it" for 8 full grown adults. I am sure that water quailty could be managed with alot of work, but then I would likely run in to the problem of space again.

[RTR]

I could not remember the exact number you had, but I suspect it is a maturation thing and lack of personal space within the school. Someone of the web used the comparison to a cluster of bubbles, each fish spacing itself with its bubble in contact with its schoolmates bubbles. We can extend that idea with the fact that when you compress bubbles, the internal pressure goes up - in this case that is released by nipping. I think your problems will ease markedly when they move.

In the meantime, can you reduce the light, possibly also the temp a couple of degrees? Anything along that line might give you a bit more margin.

The minimum number of fish per captive school seems to be highly specific. I do say 8 for Tiger Barbs, but I don't know enough to say for the Sebaes.

HTH

[Sumpin'fishy]

I agree with RTR. I didn't know Sebaes got that large, and yes, I'd rather see you keep good water quality/stocking levels. His light or temp ideas have been known to minimize aggression in some instances. That may be useful for now. I hope the setup turns out well for you. 215 is a nice nice tank, BTW;)

[goldfish freak]

Thanks RTR and Sumpinfishy. Interesting points, I have noticed that when the temperature has dropped to 79-80 degrees that the monos seem to be less agressive and there apprears to be less nipping. The temperature in the tank ranges from 79 and 83 degrees, usually staying between 80 and 82. Unfortunately the temperature in my tank is very hard to keep on the low side without the apartment getting too cold. Regarding the amount of light , this is another problem since it is already on the low side with a single 30 watt bulb lighting the tank. They are going into the 120 in a couple of weeks so hopefully this problem will not last much longer.

[goldfries]

hehe, that's why you have to pick your fish wisely.

then you can avoid the hassle of nips and fin torn.