# Fire eel biting own tail?



## Raven8 (Mar 18, 2015)

I have a 16 inch Fire eel in a 90 gallon tank with a 5 inch Frontosa. I've had the big guy for around 5 years now, and have found him to be the friendliest and hardiest fish that I've ever had. He's never neglected to eat, he's frequently off showing off to anyone passing by, he's never shown any form of aggression, and he bounces back from any issue like a real trooper.

However, over the past 8 months or so I've noticed something; he's developed some gashes around the edges of his back fin. Nothing terrible, but they've made his paddle tail noticeably more jagged. at first I thought that he and the Frontosa were getting into fights, but I've never seen them even show any attention toward each other in the past. However, today I saw what the real cause is.

This morning I gave my guy a nightcrawler, which he happily downed as he always does. However, a moment later he whips around and starts striking at his own tail like a snake, ripping at it as he pulls away. I have never seen him do this and can't find any information on it, but it's a bit disturbing frankly. Has anyone here ever heard of any behavior along these lines? Should I do something to try and stop it? I know that scaleless fish are more susceptible to different infections, so this worries me quite a bit.


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