Nipped Dorsal?

[ILLiDaN]

one of my clowns has a tiny bit of his dorsal nipped or cut will the rest growback?

 

[sugartooth]

It will heal if the clown is able to have peace and quiet. If he's being harassed constantly, most likely it will get worse.

 

[ILLiDaN]

yea i am wondering whether its because it hosts a frogspawn or i have an evil firefish....

 

[sugartooth]

If there are marks from the frogspawn, it will most likely look like dark spots or dots around the body. Frayed fins are usually a sign of being picked on or disease.

 

[ILLiDaN]

what disease could it be?

 

[Reef Mongoose]

not sure if it will grow back, I have a clown that has had the same piece missing from his dorsal fin for about a year now and it has not grown back even though no one in the tank is bothering him

 

[sugartooth]

That's true, if damage is extensive enough it may not grow back. Since the description was nipped or torn fins, it's a good chance it will heal.
I can only speak from experience of about 4 fish having damaged fins. The reasons ranged from getting picked on or beat up to having flukes. All of them healed after giving them a better environment.

As for diseases, my first guess would be parasitic for torn or tattered fins. I would guess if it was bacterial, there would be some redness or sores you would notice.

But, if was a disease I would look for other signs first. The only disease I know of really that shows moth eaten fins as the only sign you can see is flukes.

Flukes are hard to tell, unless you have a severe infestation. That's why tattered fins are usually the first sign a fish keeper would find.

I think they are more common in laterally compressed fish and not often found on clowns?

Did you receive the clown that way?

 

[ILLiDaN]

i think i did.....i thought it was white coloration but it seams to be the bone of the dorsal...