Wounded Betta Fish

Question
Hello, our Beta got caught in the intail valve under the tank filter and it damaged his tail to the point that most of his flowing tail was gone with the exception of the first part of his tail before it fanned out.  He struggled the first day, but he made it through.  It has been approximately 3 days since this accident and today it looks like all of his tail is gone!  It looks like he has been cut off completely at the tail, but he is moving around.  My question is will his tail grow back?  Is there anything I can do to help him?  I feel terrible for him.  Thank you for your time.

Answer
Hi Belinda,
  That is hard to answer.  If it were just the frilly part of the tail, that can grow back (much like fingernails on a person can grow back). If, however, the base of the harder parts (the rays) were damaged, they are unlikely to grow back.   Only time will tell.

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
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