Dwarf lionfish has damaged fin

Hey guys I have a fuzzy dwarf lionfish along with a flame hawkfish and flame angel, I just noticed this evening that the right fin of my lionfish has some damage on it, the lights are too dark right now for me to get a decent picture but it looks like its been torn or even possibly nipped at

I've never seen the hawkfish or the angel go after the lionfish but it's clear something has happened to his fin, it doesn't seem to affect hus swimming and the damage isn't that bad just a small area of the fin. The angel does peck at the rocks and I'm wondering if the lionfish was mistaken for rock as he does tend to hang out on the rocks a lot, or if its something more serious like bullying or worse something wrong with the lionfish

I'll try and post some pics tomorrow of the fin but if anyone *cough* Greg *cough* has any insight I would appreciate it

Thanks

 

*claps hands*

*does dance*

*lays out ghost shrimp*

Arise lionfishlair

Arise.

 

Devin, you almost made me spit coffee on my monitor!

Tony,

Is the fin split, or does it appear to be nipped (e.g., missing a chunk)?

Has the lionfish's demeanor changed (skittish, hiding, off its feed)?

Do you see any obvious pathology on the fish (spots, white/red edges at the fin tear, cloudy eyes, etc)?

 

I would have to say the fin looks split but not all the way down, from the tip to about 1/4 and only the upper part of the fin the rest of it looked good.

The only change in behavior is that he is hanging around the bottom of the tank more than usual, his eyes are not cloudy and his body looks good with good color and he recognizes me when I'm near the tank still, still coming up to the glass to say hi, I fed him on Sunday and he ate like a champ I'm going to feed him again today and see how he does.

 

The fish may have done it on its own if it's just a split, but it could have been chased into the rockwork. Tears/splits are normally not caused by other fish's mouths...they generally look more ragged with chunks missing/bitemarks.

The fin will heal pretty rapidly, but keep an eye on the other fish for a bit just to be sure.

 

thanks greg, I'll keep ya posted

 

the fin is already starting to heal woo hoo!!

 

Great news! It doesn't take very long with a healthy fish.