Pic is proving to be a challenge. Since the failed delhezi introduction, he's been hiding under the filter, which is located on the side of my tank that is surrounded by 2 walls. Will try again tonight during feeding time, but I might have to sketch it out. It doesn't seem to be discolored, though it's kind of hard to tell on an albino fish.. Wondering if maybe, since the albino has been hiding for a week, the other poly established territory on the other side of the tank?
Worried about bichir aggression
- Thread starter mirs
- Start date
No luck getting a pic... but a better description of the damage would be that the right pectoral fin looks to be split in half by a large chunk taken out of it. I would say he has lost about 30%-40% of the fin. There is some fraying. He uses the fin to swim but keeps it locked to his side when resting. Going to do generous water changes for the time being but will I be looking at a long recovery period? If so should I put the injured guy in his own tank?
the good thing is they can lose the entire fin and in a month or two it will have grown back
Really? That's really great to hear! I was worried it was going to be a long healing process.
there is a reason these fish have been around for 100 million years. They are very hardy and hard to kill. There has been several studies done on their regenerative abilities. Unlike lizards where you can easily see where the tail had been removed with bichirs they almost always regrow perfect copies. No matter how much you know about these fish you will always discover more interesting things
That is so true! Haha I got fish because I wanted a pet I wouldn't be too emotionally invested in... This backfired big time cuz I straight up love my little guys lol.
The only thing that regenerates any faster or more completely is axolotls. Regeneration seems to be limited to fins. But it seems they heal other injuries pretty quickly also but leaves scars. They are pretty hardy also so that helps. At a very young age my teug was able to jump through egg crate top and end up on the floor from about a 7 foot fall. He had multiple abrasions and a torn pectoral fin also he was dry not sure how long he'd been on the floor at least an hour. He healed up quickly though his fin looks fine but he still has the scars from some of the abrasions.
These fish are gonna be the death of me... Pretty sure albino swallowed a piece of gravel while I was in class. He got it all the way down, is swimming fine, but he's got a huge lump in his stomach now that was definitely not there before I left...
