Starry Blenny fin damage

[CVAquarium]

Hey all,

My starry blenny's fin looks like it's been nibbled on. I haven't seen any aggression from my other fish, but we have 2x damsels, a clown (sadly the other jumped), a tomini tang, and a flame back angel.

Has anyone seen this before, and/or does anyone know what this is?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Marine Betta]

Hey all,

My starry blenny's fin looks like it's been nibbled on. I haven't seen any aggression from my other fish, but we have 2x damsels, a clown (sadly the other jumped), a tomini tang, and a flame back angel.

Has anyone seen this before, and/or does anyone know what this is?

Thanks in advance!

Is the blenny still eating and behaving normally? Any other symptoms like rapid breathing, flashing, etc? Without having this knowledge, it looks like aggression to me. What size tank is this? You have a lot of territorial fish in that tank (including that neon dottyback that wasn’t listed), and pretty much any of them could be the culprit. Record a video with your phone while you’re not in the room to see if you can capture any aggression on film.

Good news is that it should heal on its own provided the aggression stops. Keep an eye on it in case it gets infected though.

 

[RobertK]

Looks like you have a neon dottyback too. You sure its not bullying the blenny?

 

[Gumbies R Us]

#fishmedics

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hey all,

My starry blenny's fin looks like it's been nibbled on. I haven't seen any aggression from my other fish, but we have 2x damsels, a clown (sadly the other jumped), a tomini tang, and a flame back angel.

Has anyone seen this before, and/or does anyone know what this is?

Thanks in advance!

It does look like minor fin damage from aggression. However, if the aggression continues, or secondary bacterial infection sets in, it could become serious.

What species of damsel do you have?

One trick in finding the culprit is to set your phone up to video the tank then leave the room. Reviewing the video may show you how the fish are interacting when you’re not in the room.