Tang question regarding tail spike

[greg1786]

Hey guys. I have a purple Tang at about 4" who has been a resident in my tank for about 8 months. I added a blonde naso today, also roughly 4". There are no other large fish or tangs in the tank. There was some normal aggression from the purple Tang but nothing too bad. Only problem is, the tail spike on the purple Tang got stuck in the side of the naso, near his lower abdomen, and was torn out of the purple Tang. So now I have a blonde naso swimming around with a spike sticking out of him and a purple Tang missing his spike. Neither seems worse for the wear and they are actually getting along fine now. They both are this evening with zero aggression as well. I suppose my questions are, can the naso naturally

 

[Skynyrd Fish]

Following. I got nothing on this. I’m sure it’s not the first time it’s happened.

 

[Mjrenz]

I think we need @ngoodermuth @HotRocks @4FordFamily or @Big G to give you some advice, that sounds like an infection waiting to happen. Pics?

 

[4FordFamily]

This happens on occasion. It’s best if you can catch the fish and gently remove the scalpel with tweezers. A healthy fish generally heals well from these wounds in a few weeks or less.

In other words, perform minor surgery on a surgeonfish.

 

[greg1786]

Yea so I was thinking I would try the tweezer scenario but just wanted to get some advice from the field first. In the situation where I can't catch him, does he stand a good chance of healing regardless? Here is a good photo of two cuts and the scalpel in question . Thanks for the advice

 

[4FordFamily]

Yea so I was thinking I would try the tweezer scenario but just wanted to get some advice from the field first. In the situation where I can't catch him, does he stand a good chance of healing regardless? Here is a good photo of two cuts and the scalpel in question . Thanks for the advice

It’s much less likely to get infected if removed. The sooner the better.

 

[greg1786]

Ok thanks for the advice. I'll go to work on catching him