Can a fish break it's fin?

[fishoholic]

My scooter blenny wasn't looking to good today, laying on his side barley moving. Thought he was dying but couldn't figure out why as he's been eating well (eats frozen mysis) is fat and seemed fine yesterday. After awhile I had thought he died but when I went to scoop him up he darted away.

I watched him closely and he was laying on his right side spinning in circles not moving his right fin at all. His fin is completely in tact (my first thought was maybe it got nipped or torn or was partly missing) however he's just laying on it not moving it. So I'm wondering if it's broken????

Here's a pic (kinda hard to tell but it was the best pic I could get)

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii53/Laurie_Morin/6-line/DSC_0200.jpg

[peasofme]

could be broken

[fishoholic]

Ya I'm not sure if it's broken or if that's what happens when they start to die. I have had him for awhile, got him around Aug. 2009.

[peasofme]

could be stress, picked on, attacked, stung, malnutrition, disease, injured, water quality, not getting enough of his natural diet of pods or something else, etc

[fishoholic]

could be stress, picked on, attacked, stung, malnutrition, disease, injured, water quality, not getting enough of his natural diet of pods or something else, etc

I still see the odd pod at night in my display (230g) and he eats pe mysis like a pig so doubtful it's diet, I have a lot of fish and no sign of disease ATM so doubt it's disease related, nitrates are a bit high but not to bad so I don't think it's water quality. I do have a RBTA that he could of got stung on but there is no marks showing a sting. My red corris wrasse used to pick on him but I haven't seen him do so in a very long time so I don't know.

[Nano]

I still see the odd pod at night in my display (230g) and he eats pe mysis like a pig so doubtful it's diet, I have a lot of fish and no sign of disease ATM so doubt it's disease related, nitrates are a bit high but not to bad so I don't think it's water quality. I do have a RBTA that he could of got stung on but there is no marks showing a sting. My red corris wrasse used to pick on him but I haven't seen him do so in a very long time so I don't know.

I know your tank is saltwater, but in my 100 gallon cichlid tank about 3 years ago I had two fish get in a fight, and one has a bum fin now so Its definitely possible just watch him he's not super old, so I doubt its that, but if he's not able to be as mobile, he will have a hard time catching food

[ALang]

Could just be age related, Laurie?
We just don't know how old these fishes are when we get them from LFS.
Love them. They are one of my favorites.

[peasofme]

a fish dying of old age would look old and weathered for a long time. fish can live 20 years.

[fishoholic]

Ya I'm not sure if it's age related or not. Didn't think he was that old but it's hard to say. It seems in captivity that mandrains and scotters only live 5-6 years

[fishoholic]

So apparently a fish can break/hurt it's fin. My scooter spent a few days barely moving, then started moving around a little bit and now he's moving around a lot more. Tried spot feeding him when he was hurt but it didn't look like he ate. He's a bit skinnier then normal so I hope he starts finding food again and will be ok and fatten up.