Fish net stuck on dorsal fin of opaline gourami

[Allie_]

I'm not quite sure what to do and I've been anxious about it nonstop, one of my mollies has been nipping at the gourami quite badly so I wanted to separate them. I caught the gourami with a fish net but somehow, the dorsal fin got stuck on the net, I cut the gourami free but it panicked a lot (can't say I blame him) and I suspect that it might have tangled further. What do I do? I've seen people on the internet both say to either leave it be and it will fall off on it's own or that it needs intervention. I'm just scared that the stress from me trying to cut it off will cause it to die or that I might just cause more damage. If it does need intervention, what do I do?

 

[Pinkey]

There is no way to know for certain. We can make our best guesses. If this were my fish, I'd tend to agree with you on the stress. I think I would wait and see. The worst case with leaving it is that it might cause further injury resulting in infection. You'll have time to see if this is happening. These photos document exactly how he is right now. You'll be able to get more (really good photos like these) in another 48 hours and see if anything bad is happening. In that time, there is a very good chance the net piece will be gone and none of this will matter. That's my suggestion.

 

[carlosbenjamin]

If the fin isn’t too badly tangled or torn, it might heal on its own. Keep the water clean, add some stress coat, and watch for infection. If there’s still netting stuck, you might need to gently trim it with small scissors, but only if you’re confident. Otherwise, let it be and monitor closely.