Gill plates

[GlosGraham]

Hi all

Just thought about this again as I saw my only named fish in this particular tank. His name is very inventive... Gilly, a Phantom Tetra which I took pity on. I didn't want him but pointed it out to the staff and I got him FOC. (He lives with 12 others of his own)
He has no Gill plate on one side.

Anyway, he has been living perfectly fine for about a year and half now but I was wondering.
Without a gill plate would he actually have reduced function on that side etc? Just wondered about the technicality of it or it is just pure and simply protection?

Final thought, how do you reckon he could have lost it? Birth defect? Abuse?

 

[Colin_T]

The gill covers protect the gill filaments but they also help water flow over the gills. When the gill cover are opening and closing, they are drawing clean water over the gills.

In an aquarium if the fish is kept with other small peaceful fish, it should be fine.

It was probably a birth defect but impossible to say without seeing it or knowing the history of the fish. However, if someone tried to cut the gill cover off a live fish, it would do significant damage and probably kill the fish. So it's most likely a genetic problem.

 

[Naughts]

I had a couple of fish like this, they didn't have long lives. I suspect they are less resilient. You are doing well with yours being 1 and a 1/2 years.

 

[GlosGraham]

So realistically, reduced function but not loads
Yeah, I didn't particularly mean abuse by a person intentionally. I was thinking more like mishandling by the wholesaler/breeder or the LFS.