caring for the tailless fish

[shawmutt]

Hello all, have a question.

I finally found hatchet fish, I got four. I was looking in the tank and told the guy, don't give me the one without the tail fin. The store was closing, so I grabbed the bag without looking, paid, and left. Guess what? I got the one without the tail fin! He seems normal enough, well, he acts like the other ones (hopefully they are acting normal). I don't want to bring him back if there's a chance he'll be fine, because he'll definitely die at the pet store. Will his fin grow back? Is it possible he'll live a healthy life if it doesn't? Thanks in advance!

 

[tkos]

Fins will grow back if there is no loss of the spines. But if the spines are damaged or lost then they will not grow back. I had an algae eater that lived for 3 months with no fins what so ever. I don't know what killed him in the end, but of course he was a bottom feeder.

If the fish can swim fine and gets food and isn't harrassed by tank mates then it will probably be okay. Fish are pretty adaptable.

 

[Guest]

if you have a q tank to put him in by himself, that might help. some live foods to really get him super nourished couldalso help. I've seen many fish come bach from almost total fin loss, grew them back. Others, didn't make it, much depends on the individual fish. sisnce yours looks otherwise good, sounds like he's got a good chance.

 

[mound]

Fins will grow back if there is no loss of the spines. But if the spines are damaged or lost then they will not grow back

The spines meaning the bony structures fanning outward on the tail itself I assume?

I have a Demasoni who got beatup pretty bad once, his entire tail was gone, just a bloody stump where the base of the tail once was. Within a month it was entirely grown back.

 

[RogerMcAllen]

I buy a lot of my pond comets as feeders, and once got one with no tail thrown in my bag. I felt sorry for him so I took him home knowing the feeder tank would mean certain doom. He went from a stump to new tail in a month and a half.

 

[shawmutt]

Update: He died . First fish I have lost in a while.