I was given a large ( almost 24 inches) Koi. It had lost numerous scales
on either side. I believe the cause was trauma rather than a disease
process (there are 2 long lesions of 3 rows wide of scale loss) . I have
had the fish for over a month and it is doing just fine. My question is.
Will these missing scales grow back? Is there anything that I could do
to help the problem? Thanks

Scales do not grow back.


On Fri, 28 Jan 2005 14:18:58 -0500, Gary
wrote:

===I was given a large ( almost 24 inches) Koi. It had lost numerous scales
===on either side. I believe the cause was trauma rather than a disease
===process (there are 2 long lesions of 3 rows wide of scale loss) . I have
===had the fish for over a month and it is doing just fine. My question is.
===Will these missing scales grow back? Is there anything that I could do
===to help the problem? Thanks


REMEMBER: "This is worth repeating for benefit of al newbies!
Jo Ann asked Dr. Sooooooooooooooooolow to remind people that while she has retired from selling GF (and sold
the business to Ken Fischer http://dandyorandas.com/) she has NOT retired from
helping people with sick GF and koi FOR FREE. 251-649-4790 phoning is best for
diagnosis. but, can try email put "help sick fish" in subject. Get your fish at Dandy Orandas
Dandy Orandas Dandy Orandas........you guys got that DANDY ORANDAS

The scales are the armor plating on the fish to protect it from its
environment. Fish routinely will scrape themselves, removing some scales.
There is one carp, the silver carp, that has very fine small scales and
loses them so readily, that if you pick one up, you will be painted silver.
A google yielded the following page, which explains a little about scales.
http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasc...9/bio99228.htm
Since they are the armor, and are routinely lost, I believe they will regrow
as shown in the page. I know that most of the koi that I have that I know
have lost scales, they have regrown. A bad ulcer, or other damage that
extends some distance, will, I believe, heal over without having the
cuticle, or whatever, and as such, the fish will have an area without
scales, scarring it forever.
--
RichToyBox
http://www.geocities.com/richtoybox/pondintro.html

"Gary" wrote in message
...
I was given a large ( almost 24 inches) Koi. It had lost numerous scales on
either side. I believe the cause was trauma rather than a disease process
(there are 2 long lesions of 3 rows wide of scale loss) . I have had the
fish for over a month and it is doing just fine. My question is. Will these
missing scales grow back? Is there anything that I could do to help the
problem? Thanks

Perhaps comets are different than koi. I have several comets which had
small bacterial sores. Once remedied all the scales have now grown back.
You can slightly tell where the 'injury' once was because they are not quite
the same height, but barely noticeable.
Bill

"Gary" wrote in message
...
I was given a large ( almost 24 inches) Koi. It had lost numerous scales on
either side. I believe the cause was trauma rather than a disease process
(there are 2 long lesions of 3 rows wide of scale loss) . I have had the
fish for over a month and it is doing just fine. My question is. Will these
missing scales grow back? Is there anything that I could do to help the
problem? Thanks

Perhaps comets are different than koi. I have several comets which had
small bacterial sores. Once remedied all the scales have now grown back.
You can slightly tell where the 'injury' once was because they are not quite
the same height, but barely noticeable.
Bill

"Gary" wrote in message
...
I was given a large ( almost 24 inches) Koi. It had lost numerous scales on
either side. I believe the cause was trauma rather than a disease process
(there are 2 long lesions of 3 rows wide of scale loss) . I have had the
fish for over a month and it is doing just fine. My question is. Will these
missing scales grow back? Is there anything that I could do to help the
problem? Thanks

If the wounds didn't go deep, didn't get infected, and appear white at this
time. The scales will grow back. The best thing you can do is make sure
they're always in good quality water, they'll do the rest. ) ~ jan

On Fri, 28 Jan 2005 14:18:58 -0500, Gary wrote:

I was given a large ( almost 24 inches) Koi. It had lost numerous scales
on either side. I believe the cause was trauma rather than a disease
process (there are 2 long lesions of 3 rows wide of scale loss) . I have
had the fish for over a month and it is doing just fine. My question is.
Will these missing scales grow back? Is there anything that I could do
to help the problem? Thanks

~Power to the Porg, Flow On!~

Roy wrote:

Scales do not grow back.


Ridiculous. Scales are exactly like our hair. They grow back if the injury
is not severe. If there's scarring, they may no.
--
derek

Thats bullshit and you know it. If it happens to get pulled out,
perhaps it may regrow, but if its lost due to ulcers trhat are bad,
and it affected the root area its not going to come back.........and
odds are if its bad enough to loose the scale due to such its history
as to its coming back. so ...perhaps you may want to check with a
fisheries biologist, and BTW the scales are closer to nails than
hair..........Anytime you would like to pout your money where your
mouth is on this topic just say so...............I'll be glad to spend
your money

On Mon, 31 Jan 2005 11:26:15 -0400, Derek Broughton
wrote:

===Roy wrote:
===
=== Scales do not grow back.
===
===
===Ridiculous. Scales are exactly like our hair. They grow back if the injury
===is not severe. If there's scarring, they may no.


REMEMBER: "This is worth repeating for benefit of al newbies!
Jo Ann asked Dr. Sooooooooooooooooolow to remind people that while she has retired from selling GF (and sold
the business to Ken Fischer http://dandyorandas.com/) she has NOT retired from
helping people with sick GF and koi FOR FREE. 251-649-4790 phoning is best for
diagnosis. but, can try email put "help sick fish" in subject. Get your fish at Dandy Orandas
Dandy Orandas Dandy Orandas........you guys got that DANDY ORANDAS

Roy wrote:

Thats bullshit and you know it. If it happens to get pulled out,
perhaps it may regrow, but if its lost due to ulcers trhat are bad,
and it affected the root area its not going to come back.........and
odds are if its bad enough to loose the scale due to such its history
as to its coming back. so ...perhaps you may want to check with a
fisheries biologist, and BTW the scales are closer to nails than
hair..........Anytime you would like to pout your money where your
mouth is on this topic just say so...............I'll be glad to spend
your money

LOL. Hang on, and I'll wait for the boss to come back and check again.

He IS a fisheries biologist.

It's not BS. You're right (twice in one day, I'm amazed) that if scales are
lost due to "ulcers that are bad" the scarring is likely going to be such
that the scales won't grow back. But neither you nor I know if the
scarring is that bad, do we. I stand by the analogy, scales still
routinely regrow when lost (in fact, as I can attest, so do fingernails -
I've lost two of them and got them back - one slightly deformed).
--
derek
Marine Fish Division
Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans, Science Branch
Govt. of Canada