Sailfin deep gouge

[karimwassef]

He's eating and swimming fine but this is the deepest gouge I've seen. The discoloration around it is also uncommon.

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/CC48542A-7B30-44ED-A252-C26F0394A8E3_zpsiufyjti4.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/CC48542A-7B30-44ED-A252-C26F0394A8E3_zpsiufyjti4.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo CC48542A-7B30-44ED-A252-C26F0394A8E3_zpsiufyjti4.jpg"></a>

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/84729F84-C7CA-460E-97F3-8DA1D4A3E961_zpsb4fxwjax.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/84729F84-C7CA-460E-97F3-8DA1D4A3E961_zpsb4fxwjax.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 84729F84-C7CA-460E-97F3-8DA1D4A3E961_zpsb4fxwjax.jpg"></a>

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QXR53THMYK4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[lionfish300]

Do you think it got slash by another tank?

 

[karimwassef]

Might have been the rabbitfish

 

[Horace]

Prob why they call them surgeon fish.....

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[Tripod1404]

Prob why they call them surgeon fish.....

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I dont thing a rabbitfish can make a cut that clean. Do you have any other tangs? I have seen them cutting other fish similar to your picture.

 

[karimwassef]

It's full of tangs but he's the biggest after a very docile old hippo.

The video shows them all.

 

[karimwassef]

Wonder if I shouldn't de-claw all my tangs... they've lived together for years

 

[karimwassef]

Discoloration mean anything or just normal bruising?

 

[Tripod1404]

The location of the wound looks very much like a tang cut. When tangs fight the aling next to each other (facing opposite ways) and try to hit the other fish with their tail-razors. Most of the time they cant land a clear deep cut, but I have seen it happening. So the suspect is probably a tang that is slight smaller than it, since the wound is not on the head .

Discoloration is probably is just chromatophores (color changing cells) reacting to the very close wound, either due to inflammation, swelling or maybe because the neurons near them are damaged or the connection is cut. Sailfins can get pretty dark if they want to and that part looks pretty close to that color. So that is why I think it is just a color change.

 

[karimwassef]

would it return to normal after healing? I guess we'll find out

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

would it return to normal after healing? I guess we'll find out

The tang is probably hoping it doesn't. After all, what's the use of a wound if it doesn't leave a battle scar with which you can impress the ladies?

 

[karimwassef]

could take him out and stitch it up to be more scar-like! j/k

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

Next thing, he'll be listening to rock and roll and getting tattoos!

 

[ReefMaster48]

The tang is probably hoping it doesn't. After all, what's the use of a wound if it doesn't leave a battle scar with which you can impress the ladies?

+1

And it looks like he's eating fine... lol He'll be alright!

 

[Shia]

That does look a bit deep. My biggest concern would be some kind of bacterial infection. The more he eats the better off you are. I am always astonished with how fast fish heal from skirmishes with each other.

If you start suspecting an infection brewing then hospital tank with antibiotics.

 

[davocean]

Sure looks like a tail spike, other tangs may be smaller or less aggressive but it does not mean a tang won't strike if he was picking at them.
It should heal.

 

[kmbyrnes]

My tangs give as good as they get.
It'll heal and like others have said, it will impress the ladies.
Just watch out for infection.

 

[karimwassef]

ok.. he's healed up

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NldGXnK7_rI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[nereefpat]

Good to hear. That was a nasty cut on a prized fish.

 

[karimwassef]

Now he's going to have a prison scar to show off! You can still see it when he turn facing right ... like a slightly indented ridge...