Some common diseases in snakehead fish and how to prevent them

Currently, the commercial snakehead fish farming movement is developing strongly in some localities in the province (the most popular is snakehead fish farming in canvas). In addition, the disease situation is also happening very quickly in farming areas, greatly affecting the economic efficiency of the people. To contribute to limiting risks and diseases, we would like to introduce to farmers how to prevent and treat some common diseases in snakehead fish.

1- Ulcers:

* Symptom :

- Fish eat less or stop eating, swim with their heads above the water surface, dark skin with red ulcers appearing, when severe the ulcers eat deep into the bones, the flesh rots and the fish dies.

* Disease prevention methods:

- Periodically mix vitamin C into food (5-10g/kg of food)

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

* Treatment:

- Use lime powder at a dosage of 5-7 kg/100m2, dissolve in water and sprinkle evenly into the pond.

- Use 2 Oxytetraxyline tablets + 01 Cotrimfor tablet / 1kg TA

2- Skin whitening disease:

* Symptom:

- White spots appear on the fish's tail, spreading towards the head. The fish loses its slime and its fins peel off.

* Treatment:

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

- Catch sick fish and bathe them with Streptomycine (1 bottle/10 liters of water), bathe for 30 minutes.

3- Fungus disease:

* Pathological signs:

On the skin appear gray-white areas, on which there are small, soft, cotton-like fungal fibers. After a few days, the fungal fibers grow and intertwine to form white bags like cotton that can be seen with the naked eye.

* Treatment:

- Use 2-3g/m3 of methylene blue, continuously sprinkle into the pond 2-3 times/week.

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

4- Disease caused by monohost flukes: Parasites in gills and skin

* Symptoms: The gills are inflamed and swollen, the gill rays are broken, the gills secrete a lot of mucus causing the fish to suffocate and die, the fish often float and gather in places where the water flows.

* Disease prevention:

- Before releasing the fish into the pond, bathe the fish in 2-3% salt water for 10-15 minutes.

- Regularly change pond water to avoid leaving leftover food causing pollution.

* Treatment:

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

5. Anchor worm disease:

* Pathological signs: Parasites often parasitize the skin, gills, fins, eyes... of fish. When infected, fish eat less, become thinner, and the area around the parasite is inflamed and hemorrhagic. Anchor worm infection is the first factor leading to bacterial infection.

* Disease prevention and treatment:

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

- Bathe fish with 10-25ppm potassium permanganate for 1 hour.

According to internet - LY