Torn Dotty tail, why? Please help!

PrimaryQwilfish · May 10, 2019

I recently got a Springeri dottyback and he has been doing very well, other than his tail ocassionally being torn? When I got him, his tail split and then fully healed, and I woke up to it being shreded this morning after like a month of no issues! His tank mates are a Valentini puffer and Flame Hawkfish. He was added with the puffer who seems to ignore everything. The Hawk lived there before him and was a bit testy with him at first, but now they swim near each other constantly with seemingly no issue since.

CUC includes 4 blue leg hermits, a red reef hermit, a tuxedo urchin, 2 trochus snails, and I guess a pistol shrimp (heard but never seen).

My boyfriend thinks he just tears it squeezing in and out cracks, and I saw someone repeat this online, but have struggled to find good sources to support this. Anyone able to help? It really worries me seeing his fins torn up... I am worried it may be pot shots from the hawkfish as well, which would suck because it is my BF's fav fish.

EmdeReef · May 10, 2019

This could be either aggression or as you say an injury. The important thing to look for are signs of infection. Most of the time it will heal on its own just continue providing good water quality and food. if it gets infected you have to treat with abx.

ca1ore · May 10, 2019

Torn fins are almost always a result of aggression/fighting.

PrimaryQwilfish · May 10, 2019

Thats what I was afraid of, but he hasnt been bothered much sonce being put in. Ive never seen anyone act aggressive. Maybe he just ticked someone off.

ca1ore · May 10, 2019

Dottybacks are pretty feisty. As long as it’s eating and not cowering in a corner, it may well resolve naturally.

mattzang · May 10, 2019

i added a flame angel and my orchid dottyback went mia for about a week, then when he surfaced he looked like he had been pretty roughed up (similar to yours, can't believe you got a decent picture). i was semi worried, but he kept eating so i just hoped for the best.. and now about a month later he looks no worse for the wear. i've never actually seen the angel go after him, but short of going into the rocks full speed idk what else could've happened to him since i don't have anything in there that could try to eat him

mort · May 11, 2019

If it were the tobie puffer you would see little nips out of the tail. Puffers are known for this and mine did the same thing when it was introduced but hasn't for a long time now.
What I think I see in the picture looks like the tail is split into separate pieces horizontally and I'm going to go against the other here and suggest that it isn't aggression and that the source you found earlier was right that this is simply an injury from going in and out of the rockwork.
I've kept many species of dottyback over the years and have bred springers and I found that after initial introduction they would get torn fins. I thought it was aggression but saw it in tanks where they were the only fish so now assume it's because they are hunting through the rockwork. If a tank bred fish or a wild caught one that has been kept in reasonably sterile conditions at the wholesalers or lfs, suddenly gets the chance to hunt it's own live food it will and it's just this I think you are seeing. In time the fins will heal and you might not see anymore problems but I've had the same problem with springers I've had for years, as well as them going awol for months at a time or getting a beard of bristle worm spines, it's just a characteristic of the species which I find more reclusive than some of the other dotties (it could be that it's just harder to see than say a fridmani). Bottom line I wouldn't worry.

PrimaryQwilfish · May 31, 2019

mort said:
If it were the tobie puffer you would see little nips out of the tail. Puffers are known for this and mine did the same thing when it was introduced but hasn't for a long time now.
What I think I see in the picture looks like the tail is split into separate pieces horizontally and I'm going to go against the other here and suggest that it isn't aggression and that the source you found earlier was right that this is simply an injury from going in and out of the rockwork.
I've kept many species of dottyback over the years and have bred springers and I found that after initial introduction they would get torn fins. I thought it was aggression but saw it in tanks where they were the only fish so now assume it's because they are hunting through the rockwork. If a tank bred fish or a wild caught one that has been kept in reasonably sterile conditions at the wholesalers or lfs, suddenly gets the chance to hunt it's own live food it will and it's just this I think you are seeing. In time the fins will heal and you might not see anymore problems but I've had the same problem with springers I've had for years, as well as them going awol for months at a time or getting a beard of bristle worm spines, it's just a characteristic of the species which I find more reclusive than some of the other dotties (it could be that it's just harder to see than say a fridmani). Bottom line I wouldn't worry.

Hey, I really appreciate this. It does seem this is what is happening, as I actually have since seen him do this. He wiggles in a crack and shreds his fin coming out. He always heals fast though so Idk if I can really do anything to stop him