# Frayed Tail Won't Heal



## Mr Tobias (Oct 8, 2014)

Hello All,

I bought a good sized (6" or so) Satanoperca leucosticta a few months ago. It was in beautiful shape except for a frayed tail. All other fins were intact. I watched it for quite a while before I bought it and it looked great.

The fish is doing beautifully - except the tail has not healed. In fact, it looks like it continues to fray a bit. There has been no noticeable healing.

I don't think any other fish are biting it because I don't see any aggression. It is a very calm tank and all the fish are in beautiful condition with no torn fins.

The tank is 125 gal with Satanoperca, Acarichthys heckeli, Severum, and tetras. I do 50% weekly water changes. Water is 82 degrees, 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrite, 5-10 ppm Nitrate.

I feed a good mix of flake, pellets, veggie flake, frozen bloodworms, frozen brine or Mysis shrimp.

Any thoughts? I'd really like to get this tail grown back. I'm spoiled with so many pristine fish in the tank right now. Thanks for any help you all can provide!


----------



## pfoster74 (May 13, 2012)

I received an angelfish from an online retailer a few years ago that was beat up severely. the fins have mostly filled back in but the fish still looks like it is being nipped on. like you im pretty sure it is just damage from what happened years ago. I would try melafix and pimafix for a week see if that helps the tail rot.


----------



## Mr Tobias (Oct 8, 2014)

pfoster - thanks for the reply. You mention tail rot. Is that what you think it is? I'm not sure what that is as opposed to physical damage to the tail. Whjat do those products actually treat? Thanks


----------



## hose91 (Mar 5, 2014)

I think I might think about popping that fish into a 29G or 40G Qt tank just in case it's being picked on a bit when you're not watching? Fish have a habit of picking on the weak link, for sure.

Pimafix and Melafix seem to be all natural treatments (from West Indian Bay trees or Tea trees, I believe) which have some antifungal properties and also some potentially restorative properties for fins and such. I used Pimafix on two smaller Lab Perlmutt's who had some moderate fin/tail damage, and they were good as new after 7 days in their own 10G. Such a nice fish, seems a shame to not give it the best possible chance at healing up and having a best quality life in your tank! Good luck.


----------



## pfoster74 (May 13, 2012)

Mr Tobias said:


> pfoster - thanks for the reply. You mention tail rot. Is that what you think it is? I'm not sure what that is as opposed to physical damage to the tail. Whjat do those products actually treat? Thanks


i dont know if he has tail rot or is being nipped. either way i think the melafix pimafix is a good combo to fix the fish without adding any harsh chemicals to the environment.


----------



## Mr Tobias (Oct 8, 2014)

Well, I don't have another tank running but do have an empty 29g. Debating whether to treat in the main tank or start up the smaller one for this.... I'd prefer not to start up another tank from scratch and stress the fish with a move. But if it made the difference I'd do it.

I don't think the fish is being picked on - it's the biggest in the tank. But you never know. Thoughts on treating as is vs. starting up the 29g? Thanks for the help!


----------



## pfoster74 (May 13, 2012)

you can treat him in your 125g but it will take alot more medicine. if you are using melafix pimafix you will not harm the other fish.


----------



## Mr Tobias (Oct 8, 2014)

Well I did get the hospital tank up and running but the tank does not seem to be cycled. (I posted about this in the tank set up section) I put one dose of melafix in but am now holding off until the tank cycles properly. I do not want to stress the fish.


----------



## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Tobias- pull some media from one of your established filters. Insta cycled.

What species of tetra? Some are nippy, but with no other fish showing nips/frays that may not be an issue.

I too have a fish that I received with nipped finnage. I assumed that it had been picked on in the bag, since the seller bagged several fish together. Here we are, almost 8 months later and the fins have not healed. It's a shame since he's the only one of his species showing any strong male coloration. Certainly not a dominance thing since he is the aggressor in the group. I too have been wanting to do the Melafix/Pimafix treatment mentioned above. Just haven't had the tank space to do it, really.


----------



## hose91 (Mar 5, 2014)

Hope it cycles quickly! I know you put the media in, how have the ammonia levels been this week? I'm sure you're anxious to get the fish in there and see if you can heal it up, but I thought it was the right call to pull it out when you got a small ammonia reading in the QT tank. Definitely better to take the extra time to ensure all is right, than to rush and end up hurting the fish more. Are you using a little pure ammonia to feed the cycle in the empty qt tank?


----------



## Mr Tobias (Oct 8, 2014)

Thanks Iggy and hose - 
Actually I did not pull the fish out. The ammonia has stayed at .025 and I changed 50% of the water 2 times this week. The fish is active and looking great.
Iggy - I actually did use some media from an established filter but am still getting the ammonia reading. Maybe just a delay in the bacteria taking care of it?

What would you all do at this point? How long should it take in this scenario to get 0 ammonia? As I said the fish looks great and I am not aware if or when .025 ammonia will hurt the fish. Water changes are no problem as it's a very small tank. Thanks for the help!


----------



## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Try testing against some bottled water. I have a tough time telling between 0 and .25

I read your other post. Are you feeding this fish? Nitrate would show up if there's waste being produced. I think you should keep him in the tank, and include a product like Seachem Prime with your water changes. That will help if you indeed have ammonia.


----------



## Mr Tobias (Oct 8, 2014)

Thanks Iggy,
Yes, it's .25 (I wrote .025). I also have a hard time distinguishing between 0 and .25. In fact I can't tell at all so I have others look at it for me. Great idea to test against bottled water. I'll do that today.

I have fed the fish sparingly - just a few small pellets twice since it's been in the tank. Thanks for the recommendations!

To answer your question from before, the tank has Congo tetras, yellow tailed Congo and orange flash Congo. No other fish in the tank have torn tails except this one that arrived this way.


----------



## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Good luck and hope he heals up for you.


----------



## Mr Tobias (Oct 8, 2014)

Thanks Iggy-
Just tested bottled water and there was a slight difference between it and the tank water. Bottled - 0 nitrate, tank - .25

Hopefully the media I added is enough to deal with this.


----------



## Mr Tobias (Oct 8, 2014)

I meant .25 ammonia


----------



## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Well you could always add more media. 0.25 is low. Just keep up with the water changes and Prime. Fresh, clean water will be vital for the healing process.


----------



## Mr Tobias (Oct 8, 2014)

OK the tank is set now. There is 5 ppm Nitrate, 0 ammonia, 0 Nitrite. I stopped treating with Melafix when I first got ammonia because I wanted the parameters set before I added any meds.

Now I'm ready to treat and see if this tail will heal. I see that Melafix and Primafix were recommended. Are these used together? Thanks


----------



## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Together yes


----------



## Mr Tobias (Oct 8, 2014)

I treated with both products for 1 week, did a 50% water change and now I'm partway through the 2nd week of treating. Unfortunately I see no change. I'll finish week 2 and do another 50% water change. Do you think it's worthwhile to continue treating after that.

I almost feel like I should keep going with it since I spent the time to get the tank going and I don't think these products cause harm no matter how long you use them for. Opinions?


----------



## Mr Tobias (Oct 8, 2014)

I'm getting ready to get a straight edge and a razor knife and give her a nice even tale.


----------



## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Is there a chance you can post a clear pic of the problem area of the tail?


----------



## Mr Tobias (Oct 8, 2014)

I'll be out of town for a couple of days but when I return I will post pics. Thank you Deeda


----------



## Mr Tobias (Oct 8, 2014)

OK here are some pictures. Any thoughts?


----------



## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Thanks for the pics!!

I don't see any visible fungus or other signs of illness, it may just be that the tail needs to grow back though there is no guarantee that it will.

If the fish is still in the hospital tank and is eating and doing well, you could continue treatment for another week or so to see if you have any additional improvement. After that time though, you should be able to return it to the main tank but keep an eye out on the tail progress or for signs of aggression with the other fish.


----------



## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Tobias- any improvement whatsoever?

I'd suggest skipping the razor idea.


----------



## Mr Tobias (Oct 8, 2014)

Thanks for the replies. Yes, it's still in the hospital tank so I'll treat a bit longer then return it to the main tank.

It's hard to tell if there has been improvement. Sometimes it looks like the tail has grown a bit, but it continues to be uneven. Maybe a new variety - "Veil Tail Satanoperca"!

And yes I'll skip the razor - my sense of humor may be a bit off!


----------



## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Figured you were kidding. Hard to convey sarcasm via text....


----------



## Mr Tobias (Oct 8, 2014)

Well I've returned the fish back to the main tank. It's thriving and looks great. Not sure if there has been any tail growth - maybe a bit - but it's a beautiful fish either way. Thanks for all the help!


----------



## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Sounds good!


----------

