ragged fins

Question
my cichlids have ragged fins and are slightly dull in color.. i have used melafix repeatedly but to no avail they are still sick  water conditions are optimal,in fact,when i cleaned the tank yesterday i dislodged some small hatchlings so they must be happy overall right?

Answer
Hi Keith,
 The explanation is most likely that two of your cichlids are breeding and are beating up the rest.  In cichlids, ragged fins are almost always caused by physical damage induced by another cichlid.  (In over 20 years of keeping cichlids, I have never seen an actual case of fin-rot in a cichlid.)   

 Watch your fish carefully, but at a distance and you may discover who the guilty party is.  People often say "but my fish don't fight" and that is because when the person goes near the tank, the fish act differently. Sometimes you need to spy on them from a distance to see what goes on the rest of the time.

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
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