Advice please

[atomichaggis]

Some of the freshwater ones are pretty tough too. I have some which have lost scales in the past and grown them back. One had a small 'bite' taken out of its back, which took off the scales, skin and tissue underneath. I never knew what caused the injury, but within a day the skin had covered it, and after a couple of weeks the scales grew back the same as before. Another had a deep cut along its side, which was partly healed when I noticed it. Again it did not even leave a scar.

One which I found in a wildlife pond had lost the tips of its extremely long tail, leaving it with a still very long tail. As the tail healed, black markings appeared at the tips, because new skin is often black in goldfish. The fish saw this and apparently thought it was some kind of food, as it started swimming in tight circles, chasing its own tail.

I'm talking real bites tho! about 3-5 times the size i could bite... goldfish got no chance.

 

[atomichaggis]

Yeah, admittedly it's all speculation...

Atomic, I presume the correct phrase would be "SWIM a mile in their fins" :t

As far as crazy looking fish are concerned, have you seen the skeleton of a monk fish? Crazy stuff. It looks the the beast from "Aliens", that has the telescoping mouth which opens up to reveal another telescoping mouth. Same deal with the monk fish skeleton. It looks like there are 4 or 5 sets of mouths, one inside the next. CRAZY UGLY but fascinating. They look like modified gill arches or something.
Also has a bioluminescent lure hanging in front of it's head, like the deep sea angler fish.

If by Monkfish You mean Anglerfish or Breiflabb as they are known here (Lophius Piscatorius) then yeah... I recommended it in the fish skeletons thread. That and the Wolfies are the 2 coolest fish in the world, won't win any beauty contest but fascinating and tasty.

 

[naiad]

I'm talking real bites tho! about 3-5 times the size i could bite... goldfish got no chance.

Did the missing part grow back, or was the fish left with its tail missing?
Some fish sold as pets have had their tail surgically removed, to give them a 'heart-shaped' appearance. Of course I wouldn't buy one like that, knowing how they are produced.
Practical Fishkeeping Forum
Practical Fishkeeping Forum

Some kinds of anglerfish (probably the 'handfish' type) can open and close their mouth so fast that they can eat one fish from a shoal without the others noticing. I think the mouth moves faster than the speed of sound, or something like that. I saw some small ones in a public aquarium, eating live prawns. The mouth movement was so fast that it was impossible to see that it had opened at all. One moment the fish was 'walking' towards the prawn, the next it had the prawn's antennae sticking out of its mouth. I also saw two of them walking along with their 'arms' around each other. It would have made a great photo, there were people in the way so I didn't get a chance.

 

[atomichaggis]

Did the missing part grow back, or was the fish left with its tail missing?
Some fish sold as pets have had their tail surgically removed, to give them a 'heart-shaped' appearance. Of course I wouldn't buy one like that, knowing how they are produced.
Practical Fishkeeping Forum
Practical Fishkeeping Forum

big chunks missing, sometimes fully healed over and somtimes fresh injuries... tails still on tho, this is on quite large fishes like haddock.

 

[naiad]

Then maybe when speared fish manage to rip off the spear, they stand a chance of surviving.

 

[Agar4Life]

Apparently, in the 2 hours following an injury by a fishing hook, etc. a fish stands a 90% chance of being predated, even if the damage is slight.
This is thought to be due to its attention being focussed on the wound sustained and not on the world around it.

 

[atomichaggis]

Then maybe when speared fish manage to rip off the spear, they stand a chance of surviving.

They definately stand a chance but it all depends on the injury and type of fish... haddock are tough fish, resistant to shock from warm hands, very fleshy, good fighters. Cod are also durable and these two are the most common battle scarred fish I catch. the Scars and injuries are usually bites from larger fish or net/line injuries to fleshy parts so a spear would be surviveable in the same areas to these fish. Whiting on the other hand would no doubt die.

 

[atomichaggis]

Apparently, in the 2 hours following an injury by a fishing hook, etc. a fish stands a 90% chance of being predated, even if the damage is slight.
This is thought to be due to its attention being focussed on the wound sustained and not on the world around it.

all fish are different. I foul hooked a goldsinny wrasse no less than 6 times over a several days with a treble hook and it was injured through the belly, back of the head and tail... it survived. All the major codfishes would reverse those figures... they always go back fighting fight after being caught on rod and line. other fish only need to be handled and they end up in a seagull.

 

[naiad]

That is true - some are much tougher than others. A gar (freshwater kind, looks similar to a northern pike) jumped out of its tank, and was stiff and dry when discovered. It survived and recovered fully.