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I am starting to notice bits of fin damage on a couple of my Zebs. Nothing really bad, just little notches here and there. I noticed tail damage a week or so ago, but there's no fungus and the fish looks fine, so I'm not worrying to much. This morning I noticed one of the smaller ones (who has taken up residence in a cave) has a small notch taken from his pectoral fin.

Clearly there is some sort of agression starting now. I was wondering, is this a normal part of carving out a territory for oneself, or is it more because of maturity and heirarchy. And is it linked in any way with the desire to start breeding?

I'm also curious to know how bad does this have to get before I need to intervene, i.e. separate fish, if necessary. The fin damage isn't so bad that I feel I need to treat or anything. It's literally a little notch - I don't know what size/shape a zebras tooth/teeth is, but it does look like a bit from a single tooth, or a tooth formation. Not ragged like fin rot, but like someone's had a bit of it.

Mindy,

Have you any other fish with them and if so , which ones?.

Des

Some young Endlers and 5 Harlequin Rasboras. I can't imagine any of them are bothering the Zebras. I've never seen contact made. The Endlers sometimes explore the caves, but the Harlequins never bother anybody.

I got a few pics for you to see for yourself...

Here is the one I noticed last week, notice the notch shaped bit of tail missing.


And here's the pectoral fin I noticed yesterday, different fish. This is only a small fish, but one that does live in a cave. The shape of the missing bit is pretty much the same, leading me to believe it's "tooth shaped", but I really don't know.

Mindy.

I dont think the damage is bacterial nor do I think it is caused either by the zebras or the Endlers.
Its just a hunch, I dont know why they might do this, but I cannot rule out the Harlequins as the culprits. Take a close look at their teeth !!!!!
The easiest way to find out is to move them. I very much doubt that there will be further damage.

Regards,
Des.

A thought just occured to me. The Zebra is active at night, which is a time where the Harelquins would be sleeping/resting. Maybe the Zebra inadvertently disturbs the Harlequin while they sleep, which could result in them being startled, and instinctively defending themselves by attacking?