Help! Dwarf Rainbow Arrives from Online Order with NO TAIL!

[WhiteCloud]

Help! Dwarf Rainbow Arrives from Online Order with NO TAIL!


I opened the boxes...quickly looked at everyone quickly, and everyone was moving and looked healthy. So I turn off my aquarium lights and put the bags of fish in the tank.

After 5 hours or so, I thought now would be the time to take a closer look at the new fish. I turned on the lights and I was astonished to see the one of the Neon Dwarf Rainbowfish DID NOT HAVE A TAIL!! I am not talking about a few fin tears...but has no tail from Dorsal and Anal Fin Back! I appears to have been severed off...a very clean cut.

No signs of infection or anything...yet

The Rainbowfish are the biggest fish in the tank and I have no aggressive fish in the aquarium that could have done this. I must have happened during shipping. I was astonished how rough my USP man was handling the box...

Anyway...what am I to do! I have moved him into a hospital tank with some MelaFix. I am not expecting any miracles...that tail is not going to grow back!

Anyone have any helpful advice? The poor guy is moving his whole body to keep himself upright...

Thanks!

 

[poppab02]

I actually had a rainbow who did grow back his tail, and it was completely gone like yours sounds. All I used was Melafix in a qt tank all by himself. All I would say is keep him away from anything that could provide stress so he doesn't try to move around alot. Definitely keep him away from any fish and as long as he doesn't have to compete for food or worry about other fish he may have a small chance but it's going to be a long fight, well hopefully.

 

[WhiteCloud]

Thanks for the encourgament Poppab! If there is a chance....I will keep him in the QT. For how long did you use Melafix on your Rainbow? I think I may need the big bottle.

He is in the QT with a Neon Tetra....who is healing from a Cadual Fin tail rip/rot. I don't think there will be too much competion. The neon has a few more weeks left in the QT tank.

I thought there was no chance for that tail growing back!

 

[poppab02]

It took forever, I can't remember exactly how long but yes you probably definitely need a big bottle of melafix. The first couple of weeks were real hard because at feeding time he really had a hard time eating without that back fin. There were alot of times during those first couple of weeks I thought the most humane thing to do would be to put him down but he kept fighting.
I had never heard of a fish growing back an entire back fin until it happened to me. Just watch yours closely.