# My fish is being torn apart alive!!!!!!!!!



## OhYesItsMe (Oct 1, 2011)

Okay so a few weeks ago I was feeding the fish. I noticed one of the tetra had what looked like a small bite mark on his dorsal fin. I didn't think much of it, but when I came back an hour or 1 later, he was missing 1/3 of his dorsal fin! Over the next few days he lost almost the whole fin. Then last week the same thing happened to his tail fin and his two fins in the front, the other 3 fins still untouched. I looked into the tank this morning and a chuck of flesh was hanging out of his chin! The cut has gotten worse throughout the day and I put him in a 2 gal tank so I can examine him when he dies because my shrimp will eat weak or dead fish to the bone. What happened??? As soon as he dies I will take pics to help you thanks!


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## lmb (Nov 1, 2011)

Is the current list in your signature the stock that you have presently? I hope so we can help faster.

Anyway, the only thing that I can really suspect to what is happening is that someone is attacking him/her (And I am assuming that the tetra is one of the Serpae Tetra). I can narrow it down to the betta, danios, flame gouramis and the other Serpae Tetra.


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## OhYesItsMe (Oct 1, 2011)

Yes thats the serpae in the tank with all the fish. The danio stay at the top all day so not them and the flame gouramis are the most calm fish I've ever had. So it the betta, the other tetra or a disease/parasite.


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## cossie (Dec 19, 2010)

WAIT! it may not die my fish done this so put him into theother tank with the shrimp and with a bit of luck it MIGHT get better. But this process can take up to a week so keep an eye on him and dont rule him out just yet.


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## cossie (Dec 19, 2010)

im on chat if u need help.


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## OhYesItsMe (Oct 1, 2011)

He was floating upside down, I think his time is up


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## cossie (Dec 19, 2010)

ah, is he still breathing


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## OhYesItsMe (Oct 1, 2011)

yes but i know from experience with injured or sick fish he doesn't have long


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

Yeah probably. I'm guessing it was the gouramis. The only way it could be the betta was if the tetra nipped his fins.


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## OhYesItsMe (Oct 1, 2011)

http://www.fishforums.com/forum/album.php?albumid=642 

Take a good look please. The flame gouramis and corys are harmless!!!


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Either an aggressive fin-rot or serious nipping is the cause of fast fin vanishings. Fin-rot wouldn't be chomp rest chomp rest. It would be a steady erosion. Serpae are mean little fish and their fights for dominance can be as vicious as cichlids. Isolate the chewed fish before its eaten alive.


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## OhYesItsMe (Oct 1, 2011)

They do fight a lot and the worst i've seen are fin damage and once a little mouth damage but this was insane, I have a feeling it was the tetra


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## Ghost Knife (Mar 12, 2008)

It was more than likely the Gouramis. They honestly don't belong in your setup as the rest of your fish are community fish although the Serpaes can go community or semi-aggressive.


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## OhYesItsMe (Oct 1, 2011)

Thats so odd because the corys are probably more agressive. The gouramis aren't like regular dwarf or kissing or any other semi to agressive, they dont fight each other or the betta and dont seem to care that the tetra are there. They are about just over an inch without tail fin and when i first got them the tetra bullied the for a week or 2 and they never fought back. They are so peaceful.


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## Sorafish (Sep 15, 2011)

Whatever killed that fish, it looks like something that was bigger than it...it COULD be the betta, but they are usually ok when they have enough room/hiding spaces.

It wouldn't be the cory. They don't really have anything to do serious damage like that. Their snouts are too sensitive.

My bet would (normally) go to the gourami. But if you say your fish are docile, then that would rule them out.

NOW, I had a bad case of something before that also messed up my fish's mouth. I'm not entirely sure WHAT it was, but it looked like my fish had been eaten/bitten and I knew for a fact that that was NOT the case. I treated the tanks with melafix and after two weeks she healed over.
Whether or not you have something wrong with the tank, or a fin nipper, I would suggest adding melafix/something to heal, as whatever it is, will probably attack again.


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## OhYesItsMe (Oct 1, 2011)

It wasnt the mouth, the mouth was fine it was a huge hole under the mouth


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## Sorafish (Sep 15, 2011)

To be fair, it wasn't really on the mouth of mine either. It was just ABOVE the mouth. Got to the point where she could hardly eat, cause most of the food would come out the hole. Yours looked like the opposite problem. 
Anyway, melafix would be a good thing to add, next time you notice this happening (rather than, ya know, just letting the fish die.)


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## PuterChickFL (Feb 23, 2010)

years ago I had a gourami assert his manhood in my community and made a few tankmates "disappear". He was usually the calmest one unless you made him mad for whatever reason.


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## Ghost Knife (Mar 12, 2008)

PuterChickFL said:


> years ago I had a gourami assert his manhood in my community and made a few tankmates "disappear". He was usually the calmest one unless you made him mad for whatever reason.


Yeah, one or two Gouramis can get rather aggressive too. I have discovered over the last couple years that they are very social fish and enjoy the company of other Gouramis.


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## PuterChickFL (Feb 23, 2010)

Brutis was his name. He was the only gourami, i thought he was lonely so I put another one in there. He didnt like that AT ALL. poor newcomer was in hiding and died from stress. Every now and then he'd just snap. I watched him chase a hatchet right out of the tank literally! The opaline in mom's tank is mildly agressive when it's time to eat (like, get out of the way, i'm eating first)


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## lmb (Nov 1, 2011)

Hmm, I'm really not sure to what has happened to the fish. I looked almost like it was attacked by the picture, but then again not.


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## OhYesItsMe (Oct 1, 2011)

I'm so confused, well do u think I need another gourami or two to keep company? They do spend most the time together. Its hard to believe they r the killers, but if it will help, I can gat some more.

Wait it still says 2 i have 3 corys


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## cossie (Dec 19, 2010)

Have u put the pictures up yet?


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## OhYesItsMe (Oct 1, 2011)

yes one of my comments has a link


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## cossie (Dec 19, 2010)

Looks like hes been bitten the bite on the side suggest he ended up dying of internal injuries


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## OhYesItsMe (Oct 1, 2011)

its not on his side its right below the mouth, but not touching the mouth and it looks like a big mouth from the front. And why him and not the other tetra, thats why i think it ws the other serpas

cossie ive been in chat for a while n u arnt tresponding


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## cossie (Dec 19, 2010)

Yer um on my phone so cant get on chat as im away from my laptop but I accidently left it on.


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