Hermits ate my dwarf zebra's side fins.

[Crooked Reef]

Hermit crabs have eaten my dwarf zebra lionfish's fins, the big fanlike side fins. He still has enough of them to swim around the tank, they don't look infected and he still eats like a savage. Will these fins grow back and if so, how long will it take? I know it has to be hermits because he is the only fish in the tank, the tank was started with dead rock and no major corals have been added that could have brought in a hitchhiker. The only two corals are a fuzzy mushroom that was on a tiny piece of rubble and two heads of hammer that came out of my reef tank with no frag plug or rock attached. I have removed the hermits and put them in the main tank. I guess they were getting him in his cave at night.

 

[Crooked Reef]

Today

 

[Crooked Reef]

This is him when he was bought, around November.

 

[sacremon]

I had something somewhat similar happen due to a very hungry nassarius snail that went after my lion's fins.

You might want to add some food specifically for the hermits, though I just don't keep hermits because they can be very aggressive that way.

 

[Crooked Reef]

Thanks. Did your lion’s fins grow back? The hermits were removed and placed in my reef tank. There is a lot more food that goes in there and the dusky wrasse will probably take them out anyway.

 

[sacremon]

The rays grew back eventually, but it takes some time like with any fish.