This is kind of a 2-in-one question...
One of my gouramis has bitten half of the other gourami's feeler off. Will that grow back okay, or will it stay short? It was a result of a fem/fem conflict, which is resolved now. (My tiny male is in heaven!)
Will the fins of a Betta grow back to it's original beauty? I've got 3 Betta-Girls in my 55 gallon tank, and they get along okay, but my bigbully male Gourami tore up their fins horribly. (He's gone, don't worry!) One of my Betta Girls had a "broken" tail (folded over) when I bought her months ago, but now it's split badly because of him. And one of the baby Betta Girls I've got is missing about half of her tailfin... I'm hoping they heal up fine...
What do you think?
And don't tell me I was stupid for putting gouramis and multiple female bettas together... I did my research, and tried several combinations to get to this point. My tank is happy now - now that the male gourami is gone!
Thanks for your expertice.
;o)
2007-06-26 04:56:23 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Fish
Magicman, the question about feelers was about gouramis.
My bettas feeler fins are all okay, but half the gourami's feeler is gone. (I watched it happen!) What do you think?
2007-06-26 05:30:32 · update #1
From my 25 years of experience with bettas, this is what I wouldexpect. The "feeler" fins will grow back to some extent, but never as long and straight as they once were. All of the other fins will heal. Splits and missing pieces of fins will heal almost to the point you can't tell it was ever damaged, but there may be a few think spots if bent rays in the fins, nothing major. The bent tail that the fish had when you bought it may or may not strighten. It's ;ossible that the bend is the result of genetic malformation and if that's the case it will always be bent. If it's the result of damage it should strighten quite a bit over time.
Now, don't expect any of this to happen overnight. All the fins will take weeks of not months to completely regrow. Just keep the water clean and feed them a very well balanced and diverse diet while they heal. Also, for the first week or two, watch carefully for the possibility of fungus or fin rot. After that time the healing well have begun and the chances of thesse problems will be greatly reduced.
MM
2007-06-26 05:15:06 · answer #1 · answered by magicman116 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
As the proud keeper of 21 betta bowls with 22 bettas I can assure you that the fins will grow back. I have two ladies together but I won't introduce any thing else into their world. I can't respond to the gourami question.
2007-06-26 05:08:55 · answer #2 · answered by Dogbettor 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your bettas' fins should grow back naturally over time as long as they have clean water to prevent infection (you may want to add aquarium salt to aid this). I've found that adding Blackwater Extract or Indian Almond Leaves to their water helps to calm them as it softens the water, and speeds up growth by a LOT. However, I can't say if they will grow back to their original glory. It depends on the severity of the injury, and a number of different factors. All the best though.
2007-06-26 20:20:08 · answer #3 · answered by ninjaaa! 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
fins usually grow back a little differently then what they were. on more expensive fish they often operate and cut the fin off evenly to get it to grow back more evenly.
the feeler on your gourami should grow back no problem.
2007-06-26 06:15:59 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋