# Macs Fin Nipping



## Briaan (Feb 9, 2011)

I got a shoal of macs that fin nip eachother, it's expected, but what I didn't expect is that my shaol of 4, three of them are 4"-5" and one is 3", only the bigger three fin nip eachother, the smaller Mac's fins are perfect, untouched, I thought they would atleast bully him, due to his size and hes the new guy in the shoal, my bigger three look like they went to war. Any idea whats going on?


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## Sylar_92 (Dec 15, 2010)

They eating? Could be they are getting too big for the tank size thats what Iam thinking at the moment. LOL a funny guess ( not to get hopes up though) maybe the smaller one is a female and the larger ones are males trying to compete for her, once again its just a funny guess dont take my word for it.


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## Briaan (Feb 9, 2011)

Yeah they eat twice daily, homemade food n shrimp, I don't think it's hunger


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## Inflade (Mar 24, 2006)

most likely the smaller fish is faster and easier to avoid the nipping, thus why the small one is mint and the others have nips


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## BRUNER247 (Jun 2, 2010)

Its probably rarely about hunger. Smaller piranha are usually the ones doing the fin nipping & cannibalism with macs, rbp, ect. Fins nipping is fine as long as it doesn't go beyond that you're golden. They are fin biters, fins grow back.its a renewable food resource for piranha.


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## Uncle Jesse (Feb 18, 2007)

You could try a dither fish. Like one of those big gold fish with the long fins.


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## FishermanCanada (Feb 12, 2007)

lower temp to 72 degrees.


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## banshee42096 (Apr 29, 2010)

i would second the smaller one is faster thats why its not hit yet.i have my tank at 74-75 degrees and they are fine.my experiance when they dont want one of them around you will come home to on thats dead and eaten up.


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## Briaan (Feb 9, 2011)

Yeah my tanks at 76 atm, too high? and 72 seems a bit low, fin nipping isnt too big, a missing chunk of fin here and there, maybe 1cmx1cm? no flesh taken yet. and the smaller one isnt faster then the big ones, ive seem them dart when they are skittish, smaller one is fast, but the bigger ones are faster, it does make sense, ive thought about it, but the case is the bigger ones seem to ignore the smaller one.

if i had some smaller schooling fish, tetras/danios, would that help with the fin nipping? give the p's something to chase. and which type of schooling fish is faster? tetras or danios? what would you recommend?


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## banshee42096 (Apr 29, 2010)

i got both in my gold tank 14 red eyed tetras and 7 rainbow danios and as far as them eating them they have not bothered them i lost one tetra and 3 danios and that was when i first put them in.


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## NARKOTIK (Mar 8, 2011)

pictures please


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## Briaan (Feb 9, 2011)

NARKOTIK said:


> pictures please


I'll upload when I get home


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## Briaan (Feb 9, 2011)

Here are some videos, first video is from 3weeks ago




15 hrs after first renovation, I renovated 3 times





2 days after first renovation





72 hrs after 2nd renovation, they kept destroying plants, uprooted many grasses


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## philbert (Mar 8, 2007)

u cant do much. it a territory thing. as state dither fish can spread the aggression. its hard to say tho. these fish tolerate shoaling but its not 100% natural for them. so if u get some that are just a little too agressive this will happen.


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