Shredded Fins Help!

[brahm]

Today I noticed, both my Dragonet and my Six line wrass fins have been badly damged, I'm not quite sure how. I don't think they were fighting with each other as from what I understand both are pretty friendly fish, but I guess it could be possible. Both fish are about the same size maybe an 1"-1.5" The Dragonet isn't so bad off it can still swim fine but it's fins were so such a nice looking blue and now one is 1/4 torn but it seems to be going out about it's business fine. While the 6 lines fins are completly shredded, to the point where it can only swim with one fin. Will they ever regrow? What could be causing this.

Other fish in the tank consist of a School of B, Cardinals, a pair of Occelairs, a Watchman goby, and a Blue Green. Non of those fish ever take not to anything but there own little cave, anenome or each other.

Thanks
Brahm

[brahm]

Well.... I must take back parts of my last post.. I cought the little bugger red-handed.. well almost.. After I posted I decided to go downstairs and check on things one more time before I went to bed. So I grabbed a flash light, and shined on the small little cave where the 6 line had wedged it's self for some safety.. and what did i find.. NO 6 line, but a little Dragonet in the very spot the 6 line once layed, and the 6line had wedged it's self further up the glass between some live rock to get away.. :( The 6 line had no more damage then before.. not much left to damage fin wise, but it was breathing really heavy and not looking good, the Mandrain was also breathing a bit harder then normal not much, and was staring at some LR like normal as if looking for pods.. I doubt that it came over to see how it was doing and offer it some tea. So... I pulled alot of the macro algie out of my 10 gallon Hob Fuge placed it in the main tank, and placed the 6 line in the fuge, where it should be free from harm for now.. (no hermits, or crabs of any kind in the fuge just snails, and pods.) Of course now my mandrain is happy because it's getting an all you can eat pod buffet.

My question still stands though can it re-grow it's fins? I have other tanks I can place it in to seprate it from the mandrain so that isn't a problem, and is ther anything I can do to help it re-grow it's fins faster some sort of medice? or maybe dosing extra on something.

[M.Dandaneau]

The fins should re-grow without problem as long as they aren't damaged down into the base of the fin itself.

[brahm]

Well, this morning the 6 line had died in my fuge :(, the Mandrain is still doing it's thing hunting pods but now I noticed a second fin on it is damaged and there is no way they could have came in contact with each other since I moved the 6 line.. The edges of the fin went from Blue to white, and are looking like they are falling off, could I have been mistaken and it be some sort of Fin rot if there is such a thing? They are damaged down to the body, maybe a little half circle about 1/4 of the fin and the other maybe 1/6th of the fin.

[M.Dandaneau]

I'd remove your fish to a treatment tank and use a good general purpose antibiotic, such as Marycin.
My money is on your clownfish doing the damage when you're not looking.

[brahm]

I don't think it was the clownfish as they rarely leave there anenome and have been in the same tank with the Mandrain for a decnet amount of time with no signs of trouble, while the 6 line is a new addition and it seems like both problems began as soon as Introduced the 6 line on Saturday. Now getting the goby out is going to be pretty hard, are there any Reef Safe products I could use? Plus my Mandrain is still only eating pods I haven't started to try to get it to eat frozen foods yet, My hospital tank is bear and would not be able to provide a source of food for the mandrain.

(but of course if that is what I have to do i'll try to do it)

[M.Dandaneau]

I have to give you credit and an A for attitude brahm....you have very fortunate fish to be owned by you.
No, the Mandarin doesn't have to moved.....if it were a freshwater fish, I'd say different but one ailment much rarer in the marine hobby than in fresh is fungus attacks, the worst case scenario.
Second, of course, is bacterial infections, a different story and I'd continue to watch for worsening of the injury sites just in case, but if the wrasse was indeed the cause, you may be just fine, as many to most injuries like this will heal without assistance.
If you see worsening damage it means, 1) a bacterial infection HAS set in and needs to be treated, or 2) the new addition may have just been a trigger to someone else's aggression, not at all uncommon.
I mentioned the clowns as they are related to, and considered by some, to be a sub-division of the damselfish family.....sometimes a rearrangement of territories causes aggression with a spill over effect.
While an aggressive 6-line isn't unusual, a mandarin that fights back is.....that's one tough little fish if that's indeed the case.
IF you do end up needing to treat the mandarin, don't worry overmuch about the diet, as all finnage would be healed within 3-4 days maximum, and plain live brine shrimp from the LFS would suffice over that short duration.
Still possible...your clowns MAY have decided to spawn, or at least sexually mature, something that would definitely knock their aggression up a level, so be watchful just in case, and good luck.
I, personally, strongly suggest against in-tank remedies, particularly in a reef system, which can do more harm than good.

[brahm]

Thanks for the kind words.. I wish It was an I for Intelligents, as I won't be needing to worry about this problem any more.. My Tube Anenome ate my Goby this afternoon.. :(

I guess 7 months with no problems doesn't make it safe.. :(
Tube Anenome is going to be moved to a diffrent fishless tank tonight.

[M.Dandaneau]

Sorry to hear about your 2nd loss, and you're correct in moving the tube anemone.....even though they are interesting and beautiful, most of these have VERY powerful stings, and, as you just found out, can and will eat small fish and invertibrates with ease.

[ozadars]

sorry for your losses

i havent heard about an aggressive mandarin before, thats wierd. It also strange that mandarin have shredded fins too. I dont really think they faught actually. Can it be a hichhiker crab?

[M.Dandaneau]

ozadars, if you think Mandarin gobies can't fight back, just put 2 or 3 males in one tank......you'll have shredded fins and dead fish faster than you can spit.
While they tend to run from almost anything except another Mandarin or Scooter blenny, occassionally a large male will get territorial with smaller fish such as gobies,blennies and very small wrasses.

[ozadars]

yes i heard lots of times male dragonets will fight, sorry couldnt remember