16U/140032

FAQ 505

Assignment

Question: write on the management of ornamental Fish.

MANAGEMENT OF ORNAMENTAL FISH

Water quality management

Water is the prerequisite for the maintenance, breeding and culture of tropical ornamental fishes. For
ornamental fish farming water is mainly obtained from rain, river, artesian well, canal and reservoir. The
physico-chemical characteristics of water such as pH, hardness, temperature, dissolved oxygen; chlorine
and carbondioxide content play a key role in the breeding and production of many ornamental fish
species.

pH

The pH of water usable for ornamental fish farming may vary from acidic to alkaline depending upon its
source, chemical and biological factors. Marshy and peaty water has acidic pH. Similarly, water springing
from a soil poor in calcium will have acidic pH.. Some ornamental fishes such as oscar and discus will
spawn only in slightly acidic pH and soft water. To this, various makes of water softeners are used and
inorganic acids, for example, hydrochloric acid can be used. If the pH of the water falls below the desired
value, it must be increased by the addition of required doses of calcium hydroxide (slaked lime). The
optimal pH for the growth and breeding of majority of the ornamental fishes should be neutral or
slightly alkaline i.e. 7-8. Water in ornamental fish tanks should never fall below 5 or rise above 8.5.
Ornamental fishes preferring slightly acidic pH (6.2-7) include rosy barb, tiger barb, tetra, angel and
danio. On the other hand, certain fishes like cichlids, goldfish, koi and gourami prefer alkaline pH.

Chlorine

Ornamental fish culturists in cities often have water quality problem as the tap water used by them
contains chlorine beyond permissible level. The growth and survival of any sensitive fish are affected by
chlorinated tap waters. Chlorine content as low as 0.1.ppm itself is toxic to fishes. The chlorine content
of such waters can be dechlorinated by heating the water.. Alternatively water with chlorine will have to
be kept over night where the chlorine escapes and the water becomes usable.

Water hardness

It is nothing but the total soluble calcium and magnesium salts present in the water expressed as its
calcium carbonate equivalent. The total hardness of water however, includes the sulphates and
chlorides of calcium and magnesium. The total hardness is mainly used to classify waters into ‘hard
water’ or ‘soft water’. Water with hardness of 100-300 ppm have been found to be optimal for the
normal growth of majority of ornamental fish. Water with less than 12 ppm require liming for higher
production of fish. Hard water is also known to influence feed intake and growth of cichlids such as
angel, black zebra, firemouth, blue morph and auratus.

Carbondioxide

Free carbondioxide at a concentration of more than 15 ppm is detrimental to ornamental fishes.

Temperature

Water temperature is one of the most important factors influencing the breeding, rearing and transport
of tropical fishes. Although majority of the ornamental fishes tolerate water temperatures between 21
and 30oC, 28oC, have been found to be most suitable for the breeding of tropical ornamental fishes. In
order to maintain optimal temperatures, suitable devices have to be used.

Oxygen

Dissolved oxygen content of the water plays a crucial role in fish culture. Fishes of aquarium tank would
be under stress and be liable for parasitic attack if optimal oxygen levels are not maintained. The
solubility of oxygen in water depends on its temperature and also on the rate at which it is kept in
contact with water. Oxygen dissolved in water by direct diffusion at the air-water interface. Further, it is
also made available by the presence of aquatic plants. The oxygen level of aquarium tanks can be
enhanced by constant aeration, circulation of water, sprinkling of water, surface agitation, etc.

OPTIMUM LEVEL OF WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS REQUIRED FOR ORNAMENTAL FISH CULTURE

Factors

Optimum Level

Temperature 24-280C

Oxygen More than 5ppm

pH 7-8

Hardness 150-200ppm

Ammonia Trace

Nitrite Trace

CO2 less than 1ppm

Proper feeding of aquarium fish requires patience. It is important to understand the different species,
and their life cycles. The amount of food required depends upon the type of food, culture conditions,
and individual fish. Newly hatched larvae may feed almost continuously. Fish generally will not overeat,
unless they are fed too infrequently. One to two feedings a day are best for most fish. More for newly
hatched fish and less often for larger fish.

Most problems with overfeeding result when wasted food spoils the quality of water in fish tank.
Ammonia and other products of decay will degrade water quality and stimulate disease organisms. In
the aquarium with under gravel filters, it is common for the under gravel to clog from accumulated
uneaten food and debris. This problem can be eliminated with frequent aquarium care, including water
changes, redistributing the aquarium decorations, and cleaning external filters. Common bottom-
feeding fish such as loaches, plecostomus, and catfish can also help to keep the aquarium clean.

Types of feeds

i. Dry feed – 8 – 10 % moisture – Further classified into five categories :

a). Pellets – Sinking or floating

b). Flakes – Flat in shape. It floats at first and then sinks slowly. It is available in different colours.

c). Freeze dried feed – kept for longer time without degradation of nutritional value. These are available
in cubes which adhere to glass tank. Fishes nibble at it as it dissolves.

d). Tablet form – It can be stuck at different water levels.

e). Granular or crumble feed – small particles suitable for larvae.

ii. Moist feed : It can be prepared daily and fed to fishes.The moisture content of the feed is 35%. It can
not be kept longer periods due to their high moisture content.

iii. Semi-moist / paste feed : For baby fishes, this can be given by squeezing through mesh.

Live food organisms

A number of live foods can be used to add colour and to condition the fish for breeding. Feeding a
restricted range of live foods, and exclusion of all other kinds of foods, is unlikely to provide a balanced
diet, and may even lead to nutritional or other internal disorders for the fish. As many live foods
originate from ponds, streams or rivers, they may bring with them aquarium pests, such as hydra, snails,
or disease causing organisms. The risk of introducing disease organisms can be reduced by collecting live
foods from fish free water, but the possibility of introducing aquarium pests still remains. It may be safer
to use live foods disinfected before use.

Earthworms are an excellent, live food for all kinds of fish, including goldfish. Anyone, who has access to
a garden or patch of waste ground should be able to collect enough for their fish. After collection, the
earthworms must be kept for a few days in a sealed container. This should have small air holes. During
this time the worms will clean themselves of solid and wastes and will then be more palatable for the
fish. The worms can be given as whole or chopped, depending on their size and the size of the fish.

Sludge worms, such as Tubifex and other tubificid worms, are a live food familiar to most tropical fish
hobbyists. These slim, centimeter-long, maroon worms are often used to tempt fish such as Discus to
feed, and are given as a live food to adult breeding fish. Tubifex worms are not easy to culture
successfully and so are most often obtained from an aquatic shop. Unfortunately, in nature these worms
live in polluted stretches of rivers and streams, and it is from these unsavoury sources that most Tubifex
are collected for aquarium use. Therefore, tubifex should be used sparingly in the aquarium only as an
occasional food rather than as a staple diet. Before use, the worms should be rinsed gently in cold
running tap water for several hours. Once cleaned, Tubifex worms live for some time in a shallow dish of
cold water.

Water fleas are tiny planktonic crustaceans, such as Daphnia and Cyclops. Like tubifex, they are a
popular live food among tropical aquarists. This is suitable for larger fish fry or to condition adult fish for
spawning. However, like Tubifex, using water fleas as a live food may result in the introduction of
unwanted pests or disease causing organisms. Unfortunately, Daphnia and related forms are less easily
disinfected than Tubifex, ideally therefore they should be obtained from a safe fish-free pond.

Bloodworms are the aquatic larval stage of a two-winged fly. Difficult to culture, they are best obtained
from aquatic shops and are particularly useful in the winter months, when other live foods may be
scarce.

In egg laying fish species, nutrients trapped in the egg sac would be normally sufficient to the hatchlings.
Afterwards, the tender hatchlings are fed with green water consisting of microscopic algal species of
Protococcus, Tetrosphaerium, Chalmydomonas, Chlorella, Volvox, Eudorina, Pandorina, etc. Certain
filamentous algal species of Spirogyra are known to serve as an ideal food source for the fry and juvenile
fishes. The above green water is a viable food source especially during the first two weeks of growth.

Aquarium fish, depending on their feeding habits and preference may be fed with live foods. Such as
mosquito larvae, fruit flies, bloodworms, tubifecids, Cyclops, daphnids, rotifers, brine shrimps
earthworms white worm and microworm or with moist pellets, dry pellets, flakes and chopped bits of
fish, shrimp, beef, oyster, crab and liver, spleen, lung, heart and brain of cattle.

Feeding of young ones (fry)

Fish fry require smallest size of food. Generally fry of live bearers are bigger than that of egg layers. Live
bearers fry eat food items immediately after release from the parents. In the case of egg layer, after
hatching the fry takes yolk as food from its throat region. They search food only after 3 to 5 days when
they become free swimming.

Feeds of fry

Oxbow theory Feeds of fry

1. Green water – Green water is collected from pools or ponds or tanks. Small containers are used to
produce green water. Scrapings of green algae are inoculated and urea and super phosphate are added
as fertilzier. After 5 days, the green water is ready to feed the fry.

2. Infusoria – Infusoria can be either cultured or collected and fed to fry.

3. Baker’s yeast suspension – Yeast is dissolved in water and this milky liquid is used as food.

4. Egg yolk suspension – Yolk of boiled egg is dissolved in the fry tank through bolting silk cloth.

In case of feeding with egg yolk, water exchange should be done every day to remove excess food to
avoid bad smell and mortality of young one.

Feeding frequency

Feeding frequency- 5 or 6 times daily

The above feeds are continued for 7 to 10 days. In case of cichlid fry and live bearers fry, the above food
items can be skipped and directly the following food items can be given as their size are comparatively
bigger. Early hatched (immediately after hatching) daphnia and artemia nauplii can be given. Finely
ground formulated feeds can be given to live bearers fry immediately after their birth for 10 – 15 days.
The following food items can be given after 25 to 30 days of birth -Daphnia, blood worms, earth worms,
tubifex, mosquito larvae, artemia and formulated feeds.

Pond fish keeping

The majority of garden ponds contain a range of coldwater fish species notably goldfish, carp, koi carp
and tench, and are often relatively well-planted. Accessories and equipment are usually kept to a
minimum and the establishment of local wildlife (e.g. aquatic insects and amphibians) in the pond may
be encouraged. However, the establishment of ponds especially for the maintenance of koi carp, usually
with a minimum of submerged vegetation and sometimes with quite elaborate filtration systems, is
increasing.

Stocking levels

The maximum safe stocking level for fish in a garden pond is to be decided based on its size and other
factors. Although this may be exceeded by experienced pond keepers, especially if some form of
filtration or aeration is used, it is a useful guide for a newly-established pond as it includes a margin for
fish growth. Stocking should begin with a number of relatively inexpensive fish (to ensure there are no
unforeseen problems) and then proceed towards the above-maximum figure over a few weeks. “New
pond syndrome” (as opposed to “new tank syndrome”) is less often referred to in the hobbyist
literature, although it is still unwise to stock a pond with too many fish too soon.
Pond maintenance

FEEDING

Extra care must be exercised to avoid overfeeding in cool weather, and feeding suspended for most of
the winter. If the fish are active on a warm day in winter, small feeds will do them no harm. Uneaten
food must never be allowed to accumulate in the pond however. As a rough guide during the spring /
summer, pond fish should be fed two to four times a day on a good quality flake, pellet or stick foods,
offering only enough that can be consumed in a few minutes.

Diseases and controls

Precautions to be taken to reduce the possibility of diseases

1. • Good-quality and compatible fish should be procured

2. • New fishes should always be quarantined before adding them to the aquarium. (A hospital
tank can be used for this).

3. • Rough handling and sudden changes in tank conditions to be avoided

4. • Overfeeding of fish to be avoided

5. • Sick fishes should be given treatment in a hospital tank

6. • Nets used needs to be disinfected.

7. • Transferring water from the quarantine tank to the main aquarium to be avoided.

Bacterial diseases

(i) Red Pest

Symptoms: Bloody streaks on fins or body.

Treatment : Aquarium should be treated with a disinfectant. Acriflavine ( 0.2% ) solution may be used at
the rate of 1 ml per litre.
(ii)Mouth Fungus

Symptoms: White cotton patches around the mouth.

Mouth Fungus is so called because it looks like a fungus attack of the mouth. It is actually caused by the
bacterium Chondrococcus columnaris. It shows up first as a gray or white line around the lips and later
as short tufts sprouting from the mouth like fungus. Penicillin at 10,000 units per liter is a very effective
treatment. Second dose with chloromycetin, 10 to 20 mg per liter may be given after two days.

(iii)Dropsy

Symptoms: Bloating of the body, protruding scales.

Dropsy is caused from a bacterial infection of the kidneys, causing fluid accumulation or renal failure.
The fluids in the body build up and cause the fish to bloat up and the scales to protrude. It appears to
only cause trouble in weakened fish and possibly from unkept aquarium conditions. An effective
treatment is addition of antibiotic such as chloromycetin (chloramphenicol) and tetracycline at the rate
of 10 mg per liter of water.

(iv)Tail Rot & Fin Rot

Symptoms: Disintegrating fins that may be reduced to stumps, exposed fin rays, blood on edges of fins,
reddened areas at base of fins, skin ulcers with gray or red margins, cloudy eyes. Tail and fin rot appears
to be a bacterial infection of the tail and/or fins and may be caused by generally poor conditions, bully,
or fin nipping tankmates. An effective treatment is addition of antibiotic such as chloromycetin
(chloramphenicol) and tetracycline at the rate of 10 mg per liter of water.

Protozoan diseases

(i)Velvet or Rust

Symptoms: Clamped fins, respiratory distress (breathing hard), yellow to light brown "dust" on body.
This disease has the appearance of a golden or brownish dust over the fins and body. The fish may show
signs of irritation. The gills are usually the first thing affected. Danios seem to be the most susceptible,
but often show no discomfort. This disease is highly contagious and fatal. The best treatment is with
copper at 0.2 mg per liter (0.2 ppm) to be repeated once in a few days if necessary. Acriflavine may be
used instead at 0.2% solution (1 ml per liter). As acriflavine can possibly sterilize fish and copper can lead
to poisoning, the water should be gradually changed after a cure has been effected.

(ii)Costiasis

Symptoms: Milky cloudiness on skin.

Similar treatment followed for velvet diseases may be done.

(iii)Ich (Ichthyphthiriosis)
Symptoms: Salt-like specks on the body/fins. Excessive slime. Problems breathing (ich invades the gills),
clamped fins, loss of appetite. The drug of choice is quinine hydrochloride at 30 mg per liter (1 in
30,000). Quinine sulphate can be used if the hydrochloride is not available. The water may cloud but this
will disappear. By reducing the time (with raised temperature) of the phases, you should be able to
attack the free swimming phase effectively.Most commercial remedies contain malachite green and/or
copper, which are both effective.

Fungal diseases

Fungus (Saprolegnia)

Symptoms: Tufts of dirty, cotton-like growth on the skin, can cover large areas of the fish, fish eggs turn
white. Fungal attacks may lead to other health problems like parasitic attack, injury, or bacterial
infection. The symptoms are a gray or whitish growth in and on the skin and/or fins of the fish.
Eventually, if left untreated, these growths will become cottony looking. The fungus, if left untreated,
will eventually eat away on the fish until it finally dies.

Treatment: Use a solution of phenoxethol at 1% in distilled water. 10 ml of this solution to be added per
liter of aquarium water. The treatment should be repeated after a few days if needed. If the symptoms
are severe the fish can be removed from the aquarium and swabbed with a cloth that has been treated
with small amounts of povidone iodine or mercurochrome. For attacks on fish eggs, most breeders will
use a solution of methylene blue adding 3 to 5 mg/l as a preventative measure after the eggs are laid.