HOW TO CONTROLE FISH DISEASES IN FISH POND

Fish Health Three conditions need to be
present for a disease or parasite
problem to occur; a host, a disease
organism and stress. Stress is
usually a predisposing factor. The
intensity, frequency and duration of disease outbreaks can be
reduced by minimizing stress.
Common stress factors include: rough handling sudden water temperature
changes low oxygen poor water quality poor nutrition overcrowding Diseases can be divided into non-
infectious and infectious types.
Non-infectious diseases include
nutritional disorders, contaminant
exposure, poor water quality, and
physiological abnormalities. Infectious diseases include
parasites, bacteria and viruses. Parasitic Diseases Parasites are usually more
devastating to small catfish. Many
parasites require microscopic
examination for identification and
diagnosis. Infections of the gills and
skin are most common. Parasites of catfish include various protozoans,
trematodes (grubs), cestodes
(tapeworms), nematodes
(roundworms), some crustaceans
and fungi. Protozoan parasites
cause the most deaths and can be controlled with therapeutic agents.
Appropriate agent selection
requires identification of the
parasite. Trematodes, cestodes and
nematodes are not usually life
threatening in catfish and are difficult to treat. Bacterial Diseases Bacterial infections of channel
catfish are almost always related to
an environmental stress. Some of
the more important bacteria are
Flexibacter columnaris, Aeromonas
hydrophilla and A. salmonicida. These are soil bacteria found in
most soil and water. Because they
are almost always present, these
bacteria can become a problem
when fish are stressed and
conditions favor their growth. Other bacteria include Edwardsiella
tarda and E. ictaluri. Edwardsiella
ictaluri causes a condition known
as enteric septicemia of catfish
(ESC). All of these bacterial diseases can
cause significant losses. A vaccine
was developed recently for ESC.
Terramycin® and Romet® are the
only antibiotics licensed for
treating bacterial infections of channel catfish. Both usually are
administered in medicated feed. Some bacterial strains have
developed resistance to these
antibiotics. Producers should
consult a professional diagnostician
to identify the bacterial infection
and test for antibiotic sensitivity. Viral Diseases Channel catfish virus disease (CCVD)
is the only important viral disease
of channel catfish. The disease
primarily affects fry or fingerlings
during the summer. It does not
affect fish larger than 10 inches. There is no treatment for CCVD. If
fish are infected, reducing
environmental stress until the fish
are 4 inches in length will minimize
losses.

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