Some common diseases in snakehead fish and how to prevent them.

Currently, the commercial farming of snakehead fish is developing strongly in some localities in the province (most commonly, farming snakehead fish in tarpaulin ponds). However, disease outbreaks are also spreading rapidly in farming areas, significantly impacting the economic efficiency of farmers. To help mitigate risks and disease outbreaks, we would like to introduce to farmers methods for preventing and treating some common diseases affecting snakehead fish.

1. Ulcers:

* Symptom :

- Fish eat less or stop eating, swim with their heads above the water, their skin darkens and red ulcers appear; in severe cases, the ulcers penetrate deep to the bone, the flesh rots, and the fish die.

* Methods of disease prevention:

- Regularly mix vitamin C into the feed (5-10g/kg of feed).

- Releasing neem leaves: tie them into bundles and plant them in the pond (bundles of leaves, about 30kg/100m2).

* Treatment:

- Use powdered lime at a dosage of 5-7 kg/100m2, dissolve it in water and spread it evenly over the pond.

- Use 2 tablets of Oxytetracycline + 1 tablet of Cotrimfor per 1kg of animal feed.

2. Skin discoloration (white skin disease):

* Symptom:

- White patches appear on the fish's tail, spreading towards the head; the fish loses its mucus coating and its fins peel off.

* Treatment:

- Dissolve lime powder: 5-10 kg/100 m2, spread evenly throughout the pond: 2-3 times/week.

- Catch the sick fish and bathe them in Streptomycin solution (1 bottle/10 liters of water) for 30 minutes.

3. Fungal infections (water mold):

* Symptoms of the disease:

On the skin, grayish-white patches appear, on which small, soft, cotton-like fungal hyphae grow. After a few days, the hyphae grow and intertwine to form white, cotton-like sacs that are visible to the naked eye.

* Treatment:

- Use methylene blue at a concentration of 2-3g/m3, continuously applying it to the pond 2-3 times per week.

- Use potassium permanganate at a concentration of 2-5 ppm to bathe the fish for about 10 minutes.

4. Diseases caused by monogenean trematodes: Parasitic in gills and skin.

* Symptoms: The gills become inflamed and swollen, the gill filaments are severed, and the gills secrete a lot of mucus, causing the fish to suffocate and die. The fish often surface and congregate in areas with flowing water.

* Disease prevention:

- Before stocking, the fish fry should be bathed in a 2-3% salt solution for 10-15 minutes.

- Regularly change the pond water to prevent leftover food from causing pollution.

* Treatment:

- Use salt at a dosage of 0.5-1 kg/100 liters of water (for small fish), 3-4 kg/100 liters of water for large fish, and bathe them for 15-30 minutes.

5. Anchor worm disease:

* Symptoms: The parasites usually infest the skin, gills, fins, eyes, etc., of fish. When infected, fish lose their appetite, become emaciated, and the area around where the parasites attach becomes inflamed and hemorrhagic. Anchor worm infestation is the first factor leading to bacterial infection.

* Treatment room:

- Use neem leaves, bundled together or chopped finely, and drop them into the pond at a dosage of 30-50 kg/1,000m2.

- Bathe the fish in potassium permanganate solution (10-25 ppm) for 1 hour.

According to the internet - LY