Phog article in FAMA

[yogi]

Peter H. Lee aka Phog on the forums has an article in the Dec. 2002 magazine Freshwater and Marine Aquarium. It's about fin regeneration in discus. Anybody who knows Phog, knows he's very articulate. The article is about cutting away fins that grew poorly due to stress from shipping. It shows how the fins grew back to perfect condition.

THANKS YOGI,

FOR THE UPDATE! I WISH HIM WELL.

HOWEVER I DID NOT GET A CHANCE TO READ IT YET SO BARE WITH ME WHEN I SAY DAMAGED FINS ARE CAUSED BY POOR WATER QUALITY HIGH NITRITES + NITRATES AND AMMONIA. NOT FROM SHIPPING. THIS HAPPENS OVER TIME WHEN THE DISCUS IS GROWING IT DOES NOT HAPPEN OVER NIGHT.

HTH
CARY GLD!

[SLY]

I have to agree with cary on that..if they are cause by shipping I am very sure the fins will grow back to what it to what it was like before. :)

Thanks Sly Ya!


Thats what I was trying say hee.hee.hee

Cary Gld!

[Francisco_Borrero]

I read the article last night.
Interesting and remarkable. The pictures are very convincing.

Unfortunately, the "before pictures" (fish with the fin injuries) are not as clear as one would have liked for exactly understanding what the problem was. Basically there are 2 pictures of a fish that is missing large portions of the dorsal and anal fin, as if somebody (or something) had taken bites off them. Or as if fin rot has eaten away the tissue. The text says that it was fin damage from shipping, with major fin-rot on top. It is unclear if an active infection (active fin-rot) was taking place at the beginning of the experiment. It definitely did not look as the type of damage (minor fraying/tearing) that may occur in netting/handling/trasport. Also, as pointed out by Cary and SLY, poor water conditions (and not shipping per se) typically result in fin rot.
Lee surgically cut off all around caudal, dorsal, and anal fins, and then shows a progression of fin regrowth and major improvement. He discusses briefly the cytological process of regeneration. Again, it is difficult to fully assess from the pictures, but it appears as if the regeneration was all in the soft rays of dorsal and anal fins, and not in the hard spines at the front of either fin. There was full regeneration of the caudal fin, which of course is all soft rays.

Very interestingly, the article described the use of clove oil (and provides dossages) as an effective and inexpensive anesthetic, and contrasts it with the commonly used MS-22. The later is expensive and hard to get without a license. I have used the later in the past, for narcotizing pearl oysters intended for pearl production, shrimp intended for either eyestalk ablation or spermatophore transfer, and parasite inspection in spiny lobsters.

All together a very interesting and useful (albeit short) paper. In my humble opinnion, kudos to Phog and FAMA for a good article, and simply because we don't see this type of articles with any frequency.
Cheers, Francisco.