Fin-Nipping *UPDATE VIDEO OF FISH*

[Flatcoatluver]

I have a tank with 1 male, 7 female guppies, 1 dward platy, and 3 tetras. I put one of my females in the birthing tank because most of her back tail fin is gone, I don't know which fish did it but I am wondering if it's because I am not feeding the fish enough. Just recently I started feeding them 2x a day instead of once a day. Just about 2 weeks ago I moved them into a 30 gallon. She is a little smaller from the other fish, but I bought her at a reputable fish store. Any suggestions will be so much appreciated. Also what can I do to make her feel better. She is still swimming around and everything.

[Flatcoatluver]

BUMP? :( Anyone?

[Chilli]

I'm not too keen when it comes to tropical community tanks other than cichlids.
Is she the only one getting picked on? You might want to keep an eye out for anyone else getting bullied abit. What kind of tetras do you have? I know certain species have been known to be rather brutal.

I really don't think that your fish are doing this because they are hungry. I only feed my fish once a day and I don't have a problem with tail nipping in any of my tanks.

And to help her feel a bit better you can add a tad bit of aquarium salt to the tank. That always seemed to help bettas that had chewed their tail abit.

Good luck! :D Maybe someone else will be along soon to give you a better suggestion!

[Flatcoatluver]

I have 1 red eye tetra, 1 black skirt tetra, and a mixed fruit tetra. Should I take them out of the guppie tank?

[Zippy]

Sorry I don't know anything about community tanks. :( I have only ever had feeder guppies,goldfish and bettas.

[Chilli]

I have heard of black skirts being rather aggressive, but from experiance, I know thats not always true. I have my black skirt in with one guppy and they're perfectly fine together.

Maybe just watch VERY closely to see who is doing the nipping. If its just one fish, it might be best to separate that one.

[Freedom]

You need to just draw up a chair and see if you can spot anyone nipping - or even chasing.

If you have any stress coat, put a squirt of that in with female.

Hate when this happens. I've had it occur, it is SO frustrating.

I do NOT think it has anything to do with feeding.

[Flatcoatluver]

Thanks everyone I will put some stress code in there with him. He acts completly normal but his tail is really chopped up. I will see if I can get a clear enough picture of him.

[Flatcoatluver]

Here is a video for them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MulRgWbcnd4

[IRescue452]

Platys and tetras are known for fin nipping. Tetras are also schooling fish. In the absence of a school, they can become nippers due to stress. You really should get them a few friends. 4-5 of each type of tetra is much better than 1. Platies are just plain aggressive, but they aren't schoolers. Don't get any more platies.

I could not see your video, but mixed fruit tetras are injected with dye. This process results in pain, occasional internal problems, and sometime death. The fish lose their color in a few months. Often it reduces their lifespan by half. I'll assume that it is a white skirt tetra with dye, as I can't see, so it may or may not school with other skirt tetras.

[Flatcoatluver]

:) Don't worry Irescue you have already told me about the dyed fish many times, I won't get any more. I was told when I get a whole bunch of different tetras that they would school together. So I followed there advice. I guess I was wrong to do this. So I moved all 4 of them in a 10 gallon. Is there any more room in there to add more tetras, or should I even add anymore?

[IRescue452]

You have small tetras, you could add a few more without problem. A lot of aquarium hobbyists love to stock lightly, but you're fine with space and biological stocking.