Barbel healing

[Def]

Quick question. I rescued some badly beat up gouramis from my LFS about 3 weeks ago. Ripped up, severely damaged caudal and dorsal fins etc. One of them seems to have lost about half of one barbel.

Since I got them, the fins are beginning to heal nicely but I can't see any improvement/regrowth of the barbel. I don't know a whole lot about gouramis, can anyone confirm if the barbel will grow back?

Cheers.

 

[Dwarfs]

The barbel (technically a modified ventral fin) should grow back sooner or later. Keep up on water changes and tank cleanings

If the fin doesn't start to grow back over the course of a few weeks, treatment may be necessary (melafix usually helps heal wounded fins)

 

[Mr Miagi]

Sorry Dwarfs but im going to disagree with you here.

I was of the opinion that a gouramis feelers never grew back.

Its fins will in time though.

 

[steelhealr]

Hi Def..something didn't sound right about lack of regeneration of barbels in fish...from my science background. Good news Def...one good turn deserves another. Don't stop being a hero to those gouramis...here ya go:

Creation of stem cells via dedifferention
Dedifferentiation is a loss of phenotypic specialization that converts differentiated cells into adult stem cells, which then proliferate and differentiate into replacement tissue (Brockes, 1998; Stocum 2004b). Dedifferentiation is a relatively common mechanism of regeneration in lower vertebrates. Fish can regenerate fins and barbels (teleosts) by dedifferentiation (Geraudie et al, 1998), and certain species of lizards can regenerate tails by this mechanism. The divas of dedifferentiation in the vertebrate world, however, are the anuran tadpoles and the larval and adult urodele amphibians (Carlson, 1998). These animals can regenerate the same tissues as mammals via compensatory hyperplasia and reserve adult stem cells, but use dedifferentiation to regenerate a wide variety of tissues and complex structures that mammals cannot regenerate, including lens, neural retina, and intestine (Stocum, 1995). The amphibians are also exceptional in their ability to regenerate complex structures such as limbs, tails, and jaws (Brockes, 1997; Carlson, 1998; Stocum 2004b). Mammals are unable to regenerate amputated tails or appendages, but there are exceptions : deer antlers, the distal phalanges of mice and humans, holes in rabbit ears, and holes in bat wings (Stocum, 1995).


Here is the link:
http/www.cellscience.com/Reviews1/Regene...d_Medicine.html
Cheers. Frank

 

[Mr Miagi]

True, i thought about lizards too, but i wondered if it applies to qouramis feelers.
Thats what i was unsure of. I mean, the feelers on gouramis are multi cellular, because they are their taste organ aswell. Fins would grow back because they are a much simple structure.

 

[Dwarfs]

Sorry Dwarfs but im going to disagree with you here.

I was of the opinion that a gouramis feelers never grew back.

Its fins will in time though.

Then how did my honey gourami's grow back?

The "feelers" are fins, and like fins, they grow back.

 

[Mr Miagi]

Fair enough Dwarfs . Ill do a bit of research on it myself. Im interested now.

 

[sylvia]

The ventral fins on injured gouramies do grow back. They sometimes do not reach their original length, but they do grow back.

Barbels and the feelers on gouramies are two very different things. As you said yourself, the fins grow back. The feelers on a gourami are simply modified fins - they will grow back in time.

The only thing you must watch is that none of the torn up fins (including the ventrals) become infected.

 

[Def]

Great news, thanks everyone and good article steelhealr. I've been using stresscoat for the moment, always have good success with healing fins (and it's working on the caudals at the moment). I might step up to melafix if I don't see improvement over the next few weeks.

 

[Opcn]

These aren't barbels by any streach of the imagination, but that doesn't really matter.

Tastebuds are just modified neurons and they can grow back and While fish can generally regrow fins not all fish can regenarate all there fins to the same extentI have a bitterling who lost quite a bit to finrot but grew back all but a notch out of his dorsal.

Anecdotal evidence is the only way to go, unless anyone has done any studies on the regrowth of ventral fins in gouramis.

 

[Def]

Well good news is I'm seeing ventral and caudal fin regrowth using just stresscoat. Really pleased about that, the colour is starting to return to the caudal fins and they have nearly fully regrown. Much faster than I was expecting, too...

 

[Def]

Ok, quick question. The ventral fin is regrowing well, but I've noticed it has a little bend in it from where the regrowth started. The gourami can flick it abotu and use it just fine, doesn't seem to be in any obvious difficulty. Is this small bend a problem, and if so, what do I do about it? I'm thinking no, and leave it.

 

[sylvia]

I agree with you. It shouldn't be a problem - just leave it. If you notice the fish is having difficulties, then you can worry.