help my angel fish ripped fins

[studd muffin]

so this morning i woke up and saw that my angel fish had split fins! what i mean by split is that its fins went into two. sorta like ripped apart.

so questions:

1. how fast do thier fins grow back?
2. would the fins still look normal after it heals?
3. should i use meds to treat this or let it heal w/o meds?

thnx- studd muffin

 

[justonemoretank]

Do you know why the fins are ripped? Is the fish in with tankmates who would be guilty of territoriality or aggression?

Make sure Ammonia is 0, Nitrite is 0, and Nitrate is under 20. If these are, then fins should heal within two or three days.

There's no reason to add anything to the water. The fins will heal on their own in perfect water quality, and should look pretty much the same as before, if no damage was done to the actual fish -- muscle/skin/scales.

If you test and find that water is not pristine, know that you're going to have to get it that way in order for the fish to heal. Dirty water will also promote bacterial or fungal infection. It could also be the cause of the ripped fins in the first place. So water parameters are going to tell you a lot here.

 

[Cichlaholics Anonymous]

if it were a split fin due to aggression, a couple of weeks might be fine, but it depends on other factors, like water quality, and whether the aggression persists

 

[studd muffin]

hmm scared of infections...

 

[justonemoretank]

Test your water. Make sure it is pristine. If it is, chances are a lot less that infection will occur. If it does, you'll need to treat in a separate hospital tank because antibiotics kill all bacteria, including the bacteria that drives your biological filter. Therefore, it is much better to ensure water quality is excellent and take a wait-and-see approach.

Also, since you didn't answer my question as to why this occurred, I have no idea... but can only say that if you suspect aggression from a tankmate, one of the fish should be moved to prevent this happening again and aid the fish in healing.

 

[studd muffin]

its aggression from another angel.

 

[justonemoretank]

If it's a male and female, you can try separating them for a while and see if they'll make friends again. If it's not a pair, then you're probably not going to be able to keep them in the same tank. This fish won't ever get the chance to heal if he's constantly being beat up.