# help - will fins grow back



## nice pirhana

hi...new here. got a question - will fins grow back? i have some fruit tetra that are 1 1/2 - 2 in long. one of the smaller ones is really aggressive and im thinking about getting rid of it.

this morning i find one of my neons dead and half eaten and 2 others with their fins nearly gone and in a state of shock. i tried to get some easy going community fish this go around so i didnt get any beta or shark. im about to get a couple angels and i dont want any fin nippers.

i'll put up a list of fish i have in my 55 gal tank shortly....any suggestions would be wonerful. thx in advance.


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## Andarial

I don't know about who is the culprit but the fins will grow back as long as the tetra can still swim, I suggest putting some melafix in the water to speed up the healing. There always salt too, but I'm not great at using salt and so never have. I wouldn't be one to ask about it. Melafix is all natural though.


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## nice pirhana

^ thx for the tip....i bought some today - from walmart of all places...pet store was closed.

i also picked up some stress coat to calm everyone down too...same company makes it.

anyone else got any tips on what to do or watch for?


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## Andarial

be careful of fin rot, the edges of the ripped fins become slightly transparent or whitish and they start to disintegrate. It usually means poor water quality and means your tank needs a partial water change.


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## Beaches

As Andarial said, I also think they will grow back as long as the damage hasn't gone right down to the base of the fin and there are still enough filaments for regrowth. Also good advice about keeping an eye out so that infection doesn't set in and cause fin rot. Keeping the water quality as good as possible is needed. What are your water parameters BTW? Do you have a Quarantine tank?

How many tetras do you currently have in the tank? Increasing the numbers so they are in a good shoal can often lessen aggression. Fruit tetras are dyed fish and are basically White Skirt Tetras (albino Black Skirts) that have been dyed and I have found Black Skirt Tetras to be normally quite nippy and downright mean at times. Most tetra species can be nippy though.


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## Littlebittyfish

Fins do grow back...Sometimes it takes a little while..You will want to keep your water really clean while it is healing so it doesn't turn into finrot. I have an older betta who is real prone to finrot...I use1 tsp per gallon aquarium salt and stresscoat once it turns into finrot..If it is just a nipped fin or ripped I would just make sure to keep the water clean.If the fins are real short and hes having troubles swimming you may want to put him in a quarantine tank with lowered water until the fins heal a little bit.


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## Byron

I second Beaches. The "fruit" tetra are indeed coloured forms of the Black Skit or Black Widow Tetra, and if memory is serving me correctly they are coloured with dyes, a practice that we do not condone. I would take them back. Aside from this, this species is very nippy with other fish like angels, which you mention you intend to get, and that would be a disaster.

If you are intent on angels, and a 55g is a good tank for them, you should get a group of 5-6. You can read why in our profile, click the shaded name Pterophyllum scalare. It also mentions some suitable and not-suitable tankmates for angels. As Beaches said, when faced with the temptation of angels, many otherwise "peaceful" shoaling fish become nippers. Once has to research carefully.

Byron.


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## nice pirhana

^ thx for the info. i think im gonna hold off on the angels for a while. after some research it seems there is a little more extra care for them as well as having happy & safe place w/ nice tank mates.

well its been a few weeks and so far so good...no one else has died and fins are growing back. the stress coat did wonders and ppl arent quite as nippy.


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## ladayen

How many of the "Fruit Tetra" do you have? Black Widow Tetra as they are known should be in groups of 6 at least. Not having the comfort of a group can cause stress and frustration and make them more aggresive. Instead of getting more fruits however I would get Black Skirt Tetra or White Skirt tetra. These are the same fish, just not dyed.


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## MetalArm3

On a side note, I recommend buy all 6 at one time. I bought mine in groups of 3 that lead to territorial problems (fin nipping) that has now led to Ich. If you buy them at once however its alot of bioload introduced into the tank at one time but can help curve fin nipping IMO.

MetalArm3


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## ladayen

MetalArm3 said:


> On a side note, I recommend buy all 6 at one time. I bought mine in groups of 3 that lead to territorial problems (fin nipping) that has now led to Ich. If you buy them at once however its alot of bioload introduced into the tank at one time but can help curve fin nipping IMO.
> 
> MetalArm3


 
Hmm.. doing all at once can help to reduce territorial problems. Black skirts are normally fin nippers to soem extent though, stress, such as being placed in a new environment can encourage this. I'm not sure how long you have had your black skirts Metalarm but this should pass in a couple days. With the fish having fin rot and now ich I would suspect they were already sick and your fish were attacking the sick ones, which is normal for pretty much any fish.


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## MetalArm3

The fin nipping has sinced stopped as you said. It only went on for about week, however I still see them chasing each other from time to time, but nothing violent. I'm pretty sure it was a territorial problem based on there actions/behavior. They seemed healthy when I got them, I believe the Ich came from the open wounds they had from fin nipping. BTW, there a way to tell if fish have been dyed based on store tags, or do you need prior knowledge before buying them?

Sorry, dint mean to thread jack,
MetalArm3
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## ladayen

Ick, to my knowledge at least is carried by virtually all fish. Stress alone(open wounds certainly dont help either) can lower the immune system enough allowing it to attach to fish and multiply. 

As to knowing if fish are dyed, no theres not really a method to tell. Some things to watch out for though are neon colors. Most of the time the fish is otherwise white or even clear to the point of being see through. So if you see a white or clear fish with neon coloring(usually, at least in North America, it's a single neon color) it's probably dyed. The most common ones are the skirt ones(Black Widow Tetra), which go by fruit names such as Blueberry, strawberry, raspberry or peach. There are also "Painted Glass' fish. These are either Triangle Tetras ( I think thats the name) or Glass Catfish. You can try asking the store employees, but if they say they are not dyed dont take thier word for it. Some will lie others honestly dont realize it.

Heres a link to another thread with some more information on possible dyed fish.

http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/freshwater-aquarium/new-me-fish-breed-75836/


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## nice pirhana

ladayen said:


> How many of the "Fruit Tetra" do you have? Black Widow Tetra as they are known should be in groups of 6 at least. Not having the comfort of a group can cause stress and frustration and make them more aggresive. Instead of getting more fruits however I would get Black Skirt Tetra or White Skirt tetra. These are the same fish, just not dyed.





MetalArm3 said:


> On a side note, I recommend buy all 6 at one time. I bought mine in groups of 3 that lead to territorial problems (fin nipping) that has now led to Ich. If you buy them at once however its alot of bioload introduced into the tank at one time but can help curve fin nipping IMO.
> 
> MetalArm3


thx....didnt know they were dyed. its the first time ive ever seen them & they are so colorful.


i bought all fruit tetra from a local pet store at the same time & from the same tank (except 1).

6ea - blue (1 died)
5ea - pink
2ea - yellow

also got:

6 ea - serpae tetra
1 ea - albino catfish
1 ea - emerald catfish
2 ea - african butterfly fish
5 ea - live plants
2 ea - snails (about 1-1 1/4 inch dia)


bought 1 fruit tetra from wal-mart cause it was a color i didnt have.

1 ea - green fruit tetra
1 ea - some kind of spotted catfish (kinda short & stubby at first but now its huge!)
7ea - neon tetra (3 died)
3 ea - tetra (looks like neon except clear w/ orange stripe) dont know the name of it.
3 ea - algae eaters

7 ea - some kind of top water brightly colored fish about an 1 1/4" long. looked kinda like guppies but without the big tails. they were in 3 colors, bright green, bright yellow & bright orange. they had subtle stripes running the full length. no one could tell me what they were. like i said they never ventured down in the tank...just schooled around at the top. anyone know what they are?


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## ladayen

I posted a response in your other thread so I wont say much but something else just occured to me about the fruit tetras... the colors dont last. In about 6 months they will be back to mostly white with perhaps only a tint of the dyed coloring.


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## nice pirhana

ladayen said:


> I posted a response in your other thread so I wont say much but something else just occured to me about the fruit tetras... the colors dont last. In about 6 months they will be back to mostly white with perhaps only a tint of the dyed coloring.


thx, i saw that. link to my other thread: http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/meet-community/hi-new-member-texas-signing-72918/#post754300

im gonna try and see if i can figure out what those other fish are. if anyone knows please hit me up. i really need to take pics of my tank and fish. unfortunally the last fish i mentioned (7 ea brightly colored top dwellers) died from fin nipping.


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