Ventral Fin Length

[Clawhammer]

My discus' ventral fins vary in length from stumpy to very long. Some are forked and others are straight. Does ventral fins tell you anything about gender? Are certain strains known to have longer ventrals? In competition, what is the desired characteristics for ventral fins?

Thanks in advance for satisfying my curiosity!

[CliffsDiscus]

Are you feeding beefheart? In competition some breeders do a manicure months before
entering the show.
Cliff

[Clawhammer]

Are you feeding beefheart?

Cliff

Yes

[CliffsDiscus]

Yes

Hormone in the beefheart.

[Clawhammer]

Hormone in the beefheart.

Fascinating! I would have never guessed, thanks Cliff.

[Ryan925]

Being native to the CA bay area I'm quite surprised that SF brand hasn't produced a hormone free, grass fed beef heart product lol

[Phillydubs]

I always thought it was genetic.. Like some people have this hair others that... Or eye lashes etc...

I too have had fish w very long to stumpy onesl. I noticed my wilds are much more stumpy than a long flow like some of my big domestics had

[Ryan925]

So are you saying size doesn't matter?

[Clawhammer]

I have a Cobalt with one long one and one short one...

[Phillydubs]

Eric, was it clipped in anyway or injured?

[Clawhammer]

So what is the ideal for competition? Any gender influence?

[Clawhammer]

Eric, was it clipped in anyway or injured?

I'm not sure, I think it is genetic. I couldn't get a picture so here is a video: (don't watch if you have epilepsy, there is some weird strobe effect from the LED lighting)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AKwiL9TVwk

I have one discus who had some serious fin rot issues issues which I believe "stunted" his ventrals.. It is kind of funny looking compared to some of the others (like my pointy faced snakeskin next to him below).

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/MynSaoh5Z5LZr9cc0p0DLVcg0sNGnutbBHFdg2l0E1kBz6eovx eQj89RQEAu01x4u2rtMlSx8ymTr9SPi4xKBDPs_y1Kjqt6FVCL rpH0ng7OnPBZh1j1pgUm0QBE2h_ooH5oK-hPSg-rsHO0xIIc6FPVDjznAb9xryTJud1fWPlCTO7FFMd6Fw_vxRKnm bqKbFS19bI6Ry67Urw9FKFpIYUXIqINjpGfExUMG0ImUbhVAF2 9nfC1eR4JasJUhYkyfo6wj9q59q9qy0Bx0I-THmP_28qJqmRp5VeWZe537_9jo4g6nUchnRKDk5bB6X8zzwBCQ 0p0t3s_xWoyw83XqymoB-enP7B2AdwBjMEiyZ3cJi5gZ95X9HJX_cR2EdgPHwBanus8YNY0 N5Dwc82O9DBYIJTXMF_a0aCxoCvnJNvg5rjA6i9yEVG52BgdS7 Fq9eNHoKlkR0FL9z1qIPGJa3TT0MRLjb4PU5sDcOyN-AFQ3QyQ6W6hLslMYYrhsof7SuH9YZK_Yz59boSfd25Jr9Ebxge QXzNRbig4Dr_5Ojy1Hoiuad04oeROH0DMaoT85WR6X3mF-TWHUAfHdiACs4IDYuW4gEyjufv_cDZ69jh1IHAAGg=w1274-h955-no

[Ryan]

I wouldn't solely attribute it to hormones. Wild adult discus can have long pelvic fins and they've never seen beefheart. In general, they grow as the fish ages, so young fish will start out with stubby fins and they'll get longer with age. They are delicate and can break off in shipping, netting, or fighting. They can also erode away thanks to ammonia or dirty tank water. As long as you don't damage the bony part of the fin, the soft tissue should grow back slowly.