Stunted fish

[Timpon]

Will fish that have been stunted i.e. kept in less than ideal conditions (lack of food, wrong water parameters, overcrowding etc) be able to grow normally over a period of time if introduced into ideal conditions?

I bought a splendida a while back that was emaciated and had hith. The hith healed, and while it got thicker, it never grew another inch in the 2 years I had him in a 240. Thinking about getting some more peacock bass, but they look like they haven't been fed properly. Don't want them if they aren't going to grow.

 

[sly2kusa]

Will fish that have been stunted i.e. kept in less than ideal conditions (lack of food, wrong water parameters, overcrowding etc) be able to grow normally over a period of time if introduced into ideal conditions?

I bought a splendida a while back that was emaciated and had hith. The hith healed, and while it got thicker, it never grew another inch in the 2 years I had him in a 240. Thinking about getting some more peacock bass, but they look like they haven't been fed properly. Don't want them if they aren't going to grow.

My understanding of fish growth is that it's directly related to the amount of food they feed on. Understanding that this is more towards Game/Sports fish, and not ornamentals - I couldn't really say, but if after 2 years he didn't grow any further I'd say to look at what you were feeding him/her/it.

 

[Oddball]

Once a fish is suffering brown-blood syndrome (nitrite poisoning) with associated stunting. it's a long road to recovery. However, provided pristine water is maintained and a healthy diverse diet is offered, along with supplements/trace elements, the previously 'stunted' fish will experience additional growth to close to it's normal adult size.

 

[sly2kusa]

Once a fish is suffering brown-blood syndrome (nitrite poisoning) with associated stunting. it's a long road to recovery. However, provided pristine water is maintained and a healthy diverse diet is offered, along with supplements/trace elements, the previously 'stunted' fish will experience additional growth to close to it's normal adult size.

What would you consider the length of time for brown-blood syndrome to take in order to affect a fish's growth?

 

[Oddball]

Depends on the species, its metabolism, and tank conditions. Nitrite poisoning can occur in as little as a few months to a year. Once the condition is set in, it may take a year of steady maintenance to purge the system of excess nitrites and get all the internal organs operating at peak levels again.

 

[Timpon]

Thanks Oddball. Think I'll take a chance with those peacocks.

 

[sly2kusa]

Depends on the species, its metabolism, and tank conditions. Nitrite poisoning can occur in as little as a few months to a year. Once the condition is set in, it may take a year of steady maintenance to purge the system of excess nitrites and get all the internal organs operating at peak levels again.

Reason for my question is that when my Tiger Muskies went in back at the end of June, my tank's cycle (which I thought was done) was in fact not yet done. My Nitrites stayed kinda high for a little over a month (about 33/34 days).

Could that have been long enough to have caused this "Brown Blood" Syndrome? God I hope not!

 

[Oddball]

There probably are nitrite levels in the fish. But, they should recover fine with steady maintenance and pristine water.
The reason it takes so long for fish to recover is due, in part, to the physiology of fish red blood cells. Human blood cells are manufactured in bone marrow. So, you have a brand new cell each time an old blood cell is replaced. Fish don't manufacture red blood cells in marrow. Their blood cells are nucleated and self-replicating. Each time a cell divides, the 2 cells incorporate identical aspects of the previous cell with some dilution. In this scenario, a sick cell (brown blood) would pass on some of the toxins within the whole cell when it differentiated into 2 cells. Because of this physiological trait, it will take a while to dilute/purge the nitrite toxicity totally from the fish's system.

 

[sly2kusa]

There probably are nitrite levels in the fish. But, they should recover fine with steady maintenance and pristine water.
The reason it takes so long for fish to recover is due, in part, to the physiology of fish red blood cells. Human blood cells are manufactured in bone marrow. So, you have a brand new cell each time an old blood cell is replaced. Fish don't manufacture red blood cells in marrow. Their blood cells are nucleated and self-replicating. Each time a cell divides, the 2 cells incorporate identical aspects of the previous cell with some dilution. In this scenario, a sick cell (brown blood) would pass on some of the toxins within the whole cell when it differentiated into 2 cells. Because of this physiological trait, it will take a while to dilute/purge the nitrite toxicity totally from the fish's system.

I hate to seem like I keep asking you the same question, but exactly how long would we be talking to rid the Muskies completely of any Nitrite related toxicities? (based on the scenario I described of them having been exposed to Nitrite rich water for about 33-34 days).

For instance - would they be fine with your perscribed conditions in a month? Or by June next year?

 

[Oddball]

I have no scientific basis to back the following: My own observations, over 40 years of "adopting" fish from poor conditions/environments, shows an average recovery of 2 1/2 to 3 times the duration of exposure to high nitrites. In other words, 3 months recovery for every month of brown blood development.
Of course, variables such as species resistance to nitrites, metabolism, DO requirements, etc will severely skew those time periods.
I would hazard a guess that, with pristine water chemistry, the pikes will have fully replaced their blood cells and alleviated most nitrite toxicity within a 3 month period. I apologize for this dubious prognosis but, research is still only skimming the surface of this subject.