Will A Fish’s Fins Grow Back?

Fish are very adaptable and can do some amazing things. Fish are also delicate and those that live within our home aquariums seem more vulnerable.

Let me explain in a bit more detail. Our fish live in an enclosed system and rely solely on us to keep everything perfect.

Perfection is hard to come by and sometimes fish suffer. Diseases infections and bad tankmates can cause issues.

One such issue is loss. Losing scales and other limbs from injury disease or fighting happen from time to time.

Heck do fish lose scales? Yes, they do read all about it in the link. Quick clue for you they can grow back. There’s even shrimp that can regrow their claws here How This Shrimp Got The Name Pistol Shrimp? (.)

If that’s not impressive enough what about our friend the sea cucumber that can replace its entire intestines? (.) Check that out here 20 Interesting Facts & Superpowers Sea Cucumbers amazing.

I say all that to say will a fish’s fins grow back? (.)

Can Fish Fins Regrow?

Fish will regrow their fins and tails. They regrow them to look even better than before. Left infected too long this may not be possible the fish may even die.

How can fish regrow fins and tails as well as scales etc? (.)

positional memory

We’ve heard how other animals such as types of salamanders like newts and axolotls can regrow entire complex tissue.

Leading to them being able to regrow whole limbs. It seems as though they are born with what’s called positional memory.

It seems fish have this amazing ability built in too. In layman’s terms just like salamanders and some amphibians fish have their entire DNA mesmerised.

Allowing them to distinguish between body parts and to remember what part or parts to regrow and where it needs to regrow.

Ie the fish knows to regrow a pectoral fin and not a tail for instance. The fish knows what it looked like and replicates.

Blastema Cells Regenerate Allowing Fish To Regrow Fins

A group of cells that are called blastema cells or Regeneration Buds gather together around an injury.

Once these cells arrive they group together and undergo morphogenesis.  Basically, the fish cells reform into the missing part over time of course.

Regrowth & Regeneration Determined By Length Of Amputation

As it turns out it does seem as though it depends on both how severe the injury and how long the fish has been injured.

Although fish that have minor injuries a rip or tear of the fin and or tail will heal and or regrow faster.

Believe it or not, the growth rate of these cells is much faster the greater the injury. It’s obviously going to take longer to regrow a whole fin than to heal a fin but the rate of growth is far faster in the regrowth.

So How Fast Can Fish Regrow Fins?

So we now know that fish can regrow their fins as well as tails and scales. We know they can heal tears rips and minor injuries.

We also now know they can pretty much regrow fins and tails from stumps amazing. Hang on this poses the question of speed.

How fast can a fish regrow a fin for instance? What about healing a torn fin or tail? (.) A tear or rip of a fin can take up to seventeen days (17) to heal.

Whereas an almost total regrowth of a fin has been done in around twenty-four days (24) (.) this is a little unfair to the healing process.

As the process slows down the closer the fish gets to be fully healed. This is because there are incredible bits of information and detail needed to get the final fin completed.

Details In Cell Regrowth Of Fins

I’ll try to explain the growth in more detail. As the fin gets closer to completion more and more information is needed.

This information needs to determine how long the fin is and how wide and the colour of the fin tips compared to the middle and the base etc.

In Basic terms, growth starts super fast while growing bones and a little slower for tissue and even slower for skin and scales and finally the rays and colouring.

How the fish knows what its fin looked like before? (.) And then is able to replicate it perfectly down to shape size length depth colour is amazing. I’m sure we can all agree.

Fish Regrow Their Fins 

Yes, you now know fish can regrow their fins. As well as regrowing tails and scales and they do this with memory.

Positional memory and the help of magic cells blastema cells. Millions of cells get together and rebuild restructure fish fins tails etc.

I’m sure we all agree it’s great that fish can do this but are they supposed to ie do fish shed their fins and tails.

Nope, fish are not supposed to shed or lose their appendages so why does this happen? (.)

Why Do Fish Need To Regrow Fins & Tails

How Fish Lose Fins & Tails

It’s only right that we look at why and how fish lose their fins and tails as well as scales. There are a number of reasons why fish can lose an appendage.

Poor Water Conditions

As with most things fish keeping and as I’ve already stated here in this article, fish are in an enclosed system and rely on us.

Water quality is paramount for the health of our fish. Bacterial diseases and diseases, in general, can easily creep in and play havoc with our tanks.

High water hardness or higher PH & lower PH can become toxic to fish. High ammonia is a major problem for fish and can kill them.

All parasites in the water and or the water is dirty or the conditions not being right ammonia etc will cause possible tears burns and loss of fins tails scales etc.

Fin Rot 

One of the biggest diseases is fin rot and it’s horrendous. Fin rot is a bacterial disease that does exactly what it says it rots the fins and tails of our fish.

Its caused primarily by poor water and early signs are spots on the fish’s body and some ragged look to the fins redness across the body.

A loss of appetite. Stress can also cause this disease so be careful and pay close attention to your fish. Treatment involves cleaning the substrate.

Hoover/vacuum the substrate while doing a water change check water conditions and remove any infected fish into a hospital/quarantine tank.

Use antibiotics and or aquarium salt and oxygenate the water before returning fish.

General Injuries & Fighting

Of course, there are times when the water is perfect and the fish seem fine no stress. Still, they seem to be having tears spits to fins and tails what could be happening? (.)

More than likely plants rocks stones and hiding places. Or bad tank mates nipping at fish. Fish like to swim in and out of plants some plants can be harsh on a fish.

As can flora and ornaments rocks etc. Fish are forever hurting themselves on sharp bits or bumping through shrubbery this can rip and teat fins.

Then we have the tank bully. There is usually one or two who attack everyone else or just a few that don’t get on.

We have to take compatibility into account but sometimes two fish of the same kind will fight we just have to be vigilant and take appropriate action.

So Will A Fish’s Fins Grow Back?

You bet they do fish are able to grow and regrow as well as heal ripped torn and even amputated fins tails as well as scales.

They have a select memory of each body part and the cells needed to recreate that particular body part.

There are literally millions of these cells sharing information. Maybe what’s more fascinating is how fast fish are able to recover heal and indeed regrow fins among other limbs.

I as always hope you enjoyed the read and feel free to take a look at the links within this article as well as around the site itself.