Fish Diseases, B. V. Sc. & A.H. 7th Sem.
Non-infectious disease
Disease caused by
Environmental
problem
Nutritional
deficiency
Genetic
disorder
Environmental disease
Asphyxiation
Cause : oxygen deficiency in water
Time : early morning commonly but O2
deficiency occurs at any time
cloudy weather
death of an algal bloom
pond turnover
Oxygen requirement:
varies species to species
most fish >5 mg/L (suitable), <0.5 mg/L (lethal)
trout >8 mg/L (suitable), 3 mg/L (lethal)
Causes of low DO
- algal bloom and bulk respiration
- algal die offs and consequent
decomposition
- addition of rotting/decomposing
organic - matter
- high temperature
Symptoms
Fish comes to the
surface
Gulps air
Gathers at water inlet
Fish dies with mouth open, opercula wide
Compiled and Edited By: Suraj Subedi, Yanamani Nepal, Nirajan Bhandari Page 1
Fish Diseases, B. V. Sc. & A.H. 7th Sem.
Treatment and control
Aeration by beating water, swimming, boating
Mechanical aeration (Aerator, Blower)
Water exchange (out bottom deoxygenated water and in fresh cool oxygenated water)
Adjustment of temp.
Stop fertilizing
Gas Bubble Disease
Causes
- super-saturation of oxygen in water
- phytoplankton bloom
>110 saturation problematic, >140 saturation fish
kill
In eye, skin, fin (non-fatal) and sometimes in
heart, liver and brain also (fatal)
Problem: eye blindness due to damage of lens
and retina, bacterial secondary infection due to
disruption of bubble
Symptoms
Development of large external
gas filled bubbles in the eye,
fin, lip
Visible externally
Lose balance due to large gas
filled bubbles
Fish swims at an angle of 450
with head pointing downward
However, fish remains active
and feed also
Treatment and control
Add fresh water or water
exchange
Remove excess green algae
Stop adding nitrogenous
fertilizer
Remove the fish from ponds and keep in the new ponds with appropriate oxygen level
(saturation) at that temp.
Temperature
Fish are poikilotherms. Effects
Temperature sensitive and prone to Alterations in temperature affects
disease Metabolic rate and consequent
Every species has optimum range for excreted metabolites
temperature eg. carps : 28-320C Oxygen production and consumption
Cold water species : 10-200C Growth
0
Warm water species : 20-28 C Gets thermal shock and also death
(temperate) when there is sudden change in
0
Warm water species : 28-35 C temperature by 3-40C because fish
(tropical) can’t tolerate this difference and
Beyond this range fish get stressed Importantly, defensive mechanisms
and antibody formation
Management and control
Should not place fish in too cold or hot water
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Fish Diseases, B. V. Sc. & A.H. 7th Sem.
Follow proper stocking procedure
Provide shade in hot weather
Cut off vegetation around in cold weather
Water exchange
Hydrogen Ion concentration
pH suitable range for fish: 6.5-9
Fish gets stressed/died beyond these range
pH 4 – acidic death point, pH 11 – alkaline death point
Many toxic substances becomes more toxic at high or low pH levels
Growth and reproduction ceases beyond optimum range
Irritation of skin and gill at low pH
Gill damage at low pH
Cornea and lens damage at high pH
Nutritional diseases
develops as a result of
- deficiency (undernutrition)
- excess (overnutrition)
- imbalance of nutrients present in their food
- Disease signs develop only when supply of vitamins and minerals falls below critical level
Disease caused nutritional deficiency
Cracked head
Cause: Vitamin C deficiency
Signs
Cracked head
hemorrhage beneath head
deformed body
Loss of appetite
Treatment
1 g/kg of feed for 5-7 days
Aflatoxicosis
Caused by aflatoxin, a kind of mycotoxin
produced by fungi Aspergillus flavus and
Aspergillus parasiticus
Found in oil seed crops eg. Cotton seed,
peanut meal, corn, wheat, soybean, fish
meal, feed (main source of infection to fish)
Gets infected when feed contaminated with
aflatoxin is eaten by the fish
Fry are more susceptible than adults
Factors that increase the production of aflatoxins in feeds
environmental temperatures > 27°C (80°F)
humidity levels > 62%
moisture levels in the feed > 14%
Improper storage
Compiled and Edited By: Suraj Subedi, Yanamani Nepal, Nirajan Bhandari Page 3
Fish Diseases, B. V. Sc. & A.H. 7th Sem.
AFB1, AFB2, AFG1 and AFG2 are direct contaminants of grains and finished feeds such
as cottonseed, peanut meal, and corn, wheat, sunflower, soybean, fish meal
Cancer causing agent
Symptoms
pale gills
impaired blood clotting
anemia
poor growth rates
decreased immune system
might cause liver and kidney tumor
increased mortality may also be observed
Management and control
Purchase of recently prepared (see date of
manufacture) and properly stored feed
(mentioned below)
Debris must be removed from feed
ingredients
Complete fish feeds should be stored in an air-conditioned room
Feed should be stored off the ground, on platform and at least one foot away from any
walls (to avoid condensation)
Avoid using feeds that appear discolored, lump together, and smell musty
Separate or discard contaminated feed and avoid feeding it to fry, fish
Clean feed storage bins and automatic feeders regularly
Add a toxin inactivator to the stored feeds
Constant monitoring for aflatoxins in the feed will reduce the risk of aflatoxicity in fish
Mechanical trauma
Trauma leads to fracture, hemorrhage, infection and sometimes death too.
Caused by injuries to any portion of the body from a blow, crush, cut, or penetrating
wound
Often occurs during netting, transport, handling
Breaks epidermal and dermal layers and allows invasion of pathogen
Prophylactic measures
Test and slaughter
examine the fish
if infection in fish is found of no control
then kill entire population and dispose them so that the disease will not be
transmitted to others
burn and deep bury the carcasses
effective for absolute control
Applied in whirling disease
Sanitation of aquaculture equipments Quarantine and restriction of
Parasites and pathogens enter the movement
hatcheries and farm through carriers, needs when fish are moved from
utensils, feed, water etc. suspected or infected geographical
Hands should be washed with areas to no-infected geographical
disinfectants area
Tools, transport appliances, nets, Quarantine involves holding fish in
gears should be cleaned and detention until the incubation period
disinfected with disinfectants is over
Common disinfectants: chlorine, restriction of movement involves
calcium oxide, sodium hydroxide, restricting entire movement of fish
salt, potassium permanganate between 2 geographical areas
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Fish Diseases, B. V. Sc. & A.H. 7th Sem.
needs strict legislative regulation to Needs cooperation among
control intercontinental, interstate stakeholders
movement of fish in Nepal, quarantine exists, active in
paper work
Curative measures
Dip Flush Systemic
Bath Swabbing Parenteral
Dip
Mix the required amount of drug in a measured volume of water
Fish are taken out of culture system in a net and submerge in it for certain period
of time
Return fish to the culture system
short treatment (<15 minutes) for small number of fish
High concentration of drug
Small volume of water
External treatment used for surface infections and ectoparasitic infestations.
Ineffective for systemic infections
Eg. salt
Bath
Prolonged treatment
Calculate volume of water
and drug and mix
Fish are allowed to remain
in disinfectant mixed water for
long time (<24 hrs.)
Effective and more precise
Done in small holding
facilities like trough, tank, pond,
raceway but water exchange
should be shut off during
treatment period
Fish suffering with
respiratory distress becomes
anoxic during treatment period
At the end, disinfectant
should be flushed out of the
system which might be time consuming
Eg. Salt/formalin bath
Indefinite bath
Drug is applied to the culture system at low concentration for indefinite period
No water exchange
Drug is allowed to dissipate gradually
Suitable for pond treatment
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Fish Diseases, B. V. Sc. & A.H. 7th Sem.
Flush
Done in raceway, trough, tank, pond etc.
having direct flow through system
Similar to dip but fish are not
handled/removed from culture system
A high concentration of disinfectant is
flushed in from upper end and fish are exposed to
drugs and flush out from lower end of the culture
system
Swabbing
Topical treatments are less practical and applies
only to treat open sore in broodfish
involves application of drugs in high
concentration
For better convenience it is desirable to
immobilize the big-sized fish prior to swab
application.
Swabbing with antibiotics and disinfectant can be
effective
Involves handling and exposure to anesthetics
Stressful to fish
Eg. Acriflavin, iodine
Parenteral
Can be effective
but applicable to only high value fish such as broodfish and ornamental fish
Because needs individual fish injection
Intramuscular and intraperitoneal
Mass treatment is impractical
Systemic
Mixing drugs in feed and feeding fish
Problems: leaching of drugs
Short shelf life mainly of sinking pellets, loss of drugs to bottom before eaten by
fish
Fate of water soluble antibiotics?
Diseased fish may not consume fish
Unpalatability due to drug itself
Precautions
Indiscriminate feeding of low levels of antibiotics will remove only those bacteria
most sensitive to the drug and can lead to the development of drug resistant strains.
Therefore treatment with antibiotics should be only at prime need.
It is better to stop feeding 1–2 days prior to medication through feed. Never treat
the fish within 4 hours after feeding.
Always watch for signs of stress a unexpected toxicity.
Monitor D.O. levels before and during treatment.
Calculations for dilutions of the drug should always be rechecked.
Antibiotics such as Terramycin which is a water soluble and may leach out of the
feed unless preventive steps are taken. It is best to suspend such drugs in oil when
preparing medicated feed. The daily ration of feed can then be coated with oil/antibiotic
mixture.
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Fish Diseases, B. V. Sc. & A.H. 7th Sem.
Compiled and Edited By: Suraj Subedi, Yanamani Nepal, Nirajan Bhandari Page 7
