Dwarf gourami has a hole in its top fin

Zenz

Zenz

AC Members
Aug 25, 2008
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Last night I noticed that one of my dwarf gouramis had a hole punched right through its top fin. It looks just like it would if someone took a hole punch and punched a hole in it. I could still see the part that had been cut out hanging down when it swam around. This morning, the hole has ripped all the way apart and the part that used to be there is hanging down. He's swimming around and acting normal. I'm guessing that the other male d gourami bit the hole into his fin? They like to chase and push each other around throughout the day. they have never done damage to each other before though.

Is there anything special I should do to prevent future problems?

Will it grow back?

Thanks!
 
^ wait...what? :confused:

I hope you meant to tell the OP he/she should keep the water as clean as possible because whatever you typed doesn't make any sense.

I suggest keeping the water as clean as possible.

I had a DG that also had a hole in his dorsal fin. It happened about a month into owning it and when it passed away 6 months later, it still hadn't grown back. Started as a pinhole in the middle and gradually got larger. I tried melafix, upping the temp, bi-weekly water changes to no avail.

OT: after reading about the bad experiences people have had keeping them lately, I would not try to keep another one. While it was beautiful and had great personality, the constant fear of it having health problems will keep me away from them.
 
good luck healing his fin.. unfortunately I am under the impression that DGs have a very low life expectancy even in the wild.. so you may never see it heal
 
Holes and/or rips in fins can be caused by numerous things (jagged decorations, other fish, poor water quality, disease, age, etc.)

The primamry focus should be on preventing a secondary infection. The easiest and simpliest way is to maintain your water quality at the highest level. I would certainly up my maintenance schedule for both water change volumes and vac'ing.

I would also try to assess what might have casued this. Look for fish aggression, when she hides, etc. just monitor her closely.

Also, most soft tissues (ie. fins) grow back in time. Sever fin loss or damage to the bone structure may prevent a full physical recovery, but many many fish live long and happy lives with damaged fins. I have any Angel that was 5-6 when I rescued her form an aggressive tank. She has no right fin, but I have had her for nearly 4 years myself. She is now the dominant angel ;)
 
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