Permanent fin wounds?

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Hybridfish7

Hybridfish7

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Dec 4, 2017
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I have a few fish (mainly cichlids) that have torn fins that they either came with or unfortunately got under my care. My female rainbow cichlid has two chips in her dorsal fin, my guess is it's the actual spines that broke and didn't grow back. On the other hand, my male HRP pretty much had all his fins ripped off by my male cutteri in the 3 hours I had them in the same tank, while I tore the HRP's old one down and set up a new one. This was about 2 weeks ago, all his fins have grown back fully, minus streamers. What's up with that?
 
A lot goes into the regrowth of fins. A lot of varibles too, where the damage occurred, what the fin is "made" of, health of the fish when it happened, the genetics of the particular fish in question. Example I had three axolotls (as you may or may not know axolotls can regrow lost body parts really almost any part that doesn't result in immediate lose of life) 1 I got as a rescue and two I purchased at the lfs. The rescue was missing an arm when I got it it never grew back had it for over 3 years. The two I got from an lfs fought one day not to long after I got them and the melanistic gfo lost a rear leg. I separated them, after about a year he had all four limbs again. Why did the rescue not regrow it's lost limb? Age when it happened? Health when it happened? Genetics? I don't know and others also thought it strange. Most said genetics were to blame. I got the rescue after the other one had already been with me for at least a year. I thought it was going to regrow, I was disappointed it didn't but it didn't stop me from caring for it or about it.
 
That's incredible growth if all the fins grew back fully in two weeks!
I have noticed faster regrowth rates in some fish compared to others and then I have seen some split fins never fuse back or heal.Datnoids split tails are a done deal pretty much.
On a related note I have had certain catfish who's damaged fins I've had to cut almost all the way the body in order for them to grow back to their normal size and shape.
 
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As said before there are a lot of variables. If the fin hasn't made much progress recently then it's probably just healed that way. If the damage is on the fin rays the regrowth potential seems to be much higher than if the damage chunks out some of the spines. One thing is certain, the minute you notice it you should do a water change and treat with melafix. Just like wounds on us, you want to treat them immediatly in a sterile environment to promote healing and no scarring. Keep the water as pristine as possible while the damaged fin heals for best potential.
 
If a fin ray has been broken too close into the meat of the body, or on a hard spine it often will "not" grow back.
If just the soft membrane has been ripped off or torn, it can easily grow back.
Below a Paratilapia where the break occurred too far to the meat of the caudal, and it never grew back.
 
Looks like my baby acara! I thought he was being nipped but it's almost like his tail is split down the middle.
 
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