This document summarizes several common diseases that affect fish, including dropsy, tail/fin rot, eye diseases, furunculosis, costiasis, white spot, fungal diseases, and swim bladder disease. It describes the causes and symptoms of each disease as well as recommended treatment and control methods to cure infections and prevent their spread. Maintaining clean water and proper nutrition are important for fish health and to avoid disease outbreaks. Left untreated, many of these diseases can cause severe illness or death in infected fish.

1. Topic: Diseases of Fish
Dr. Ramkumar Lodhi
Conservation Biology Lab

2. synopsis
Introduction.
Dropsy.
Tail Rot or Fin Rot.
Eye diseases.
Furunculoris.
Costiasis.
White spot (Itch).
Fungal diseases.
Swimming bladder diseases.
Conclusion.
Reference.

3. INTRODUCTION
Large no of diseases occurs in all aquatic animals including fish.Due to
nutritional deficiency or unhygienic condition of water or attack of
parasites.
All species of fishes becomes infested with pathogenic bacteria.
A sick fish generally is unable to maintain balance in the water,usually
lie on the side either at the bottom are floating at the surface.
The gills becomes pale,body covered with grey slime and there is
normal colour.
A sick fish is sluggish skinness of the fish in the pond may be due to
the change in the physico – chemical of water and due to shortage of
food.

4. DROPSY
 In this diseases there is accumulation of fluid in the internal
organs causing swellings.Intestine,liver and kidney are
badely effected.
 It is caused by bacteria called psedomonas puntata and
Aeromonas hydrophilla.
 Most fishes with this problem can survive only 2-3 weeks
but sometimes as many months.
 Dropsy is mainly found in carps like Catla and Rohu.
Control measure
 Dropsy is mainly treated with chloralphenicol antibiotics
added in water. The fishes kept in the solution for 3-7 days.

6. TAIL ROT OR FIN ROT
 Tail rot is basically erosion and disintegration of fin and tail.
 In earlier stage white line appears on fin which may leads to fin lost.
 Tail rot is caused by Pseudomonas Floresence.
 It occurs due to poor quality of water.
 If fin rot is noticed in the early stages and treated then fish may be
survive. If tail rot remains untreated then entire tail is lost and fish
die.
 Control measures
 The diseases may be cured by dipping in the copper sulphate
solution for 1-2.
 If heavy infection,the affected portion of tail should be removed and
then wash by 1% silvar nitrate.
 The fish kept in a diluted sol of potassium dichoromate for healing of
wounds which may require 7-10 days

8. EYE DISEASE
 This disease is caused by bacteria streptoccus iniae, as well
as Lactococcus,entrococ-cusrococcus.
 The most common symptom of these bacteria will show as
cloudy eye and bulges outwards from eye cavity ,thus
called pop eye diseases.
 The conory becomes vascularised leading to opacity eye
becomes whitish and loss of balanace in the body of fish.
 It is observed in Rohu catla and silvar fish.
 Control measures
 The diseased fish may be treated by chloromycetin in the
early stage of this diseases,then fish kept in 1% of KMnO4
for 3 minutes

10. FURUNCULOSIS
 Mostly observed in salmon,trout and goldfish.
 It is caused by bacteria Aeromonas salmonicida.
 The infected fish develops swellings on the sides of the
body which may leads to ulcer.
 The swelling contains pus like substance formed by
necrosis of muscle cells.
 Control measure
 Cured by antibiotics oxytetracycline and sulfamerazine.

12.  This disease is caused by ectoparasite costia which is a flagellate that
attacks skin and gills, destroys epidermal cells and feed them.
 As a result excessive secretion of mucus.
 The body of the fish becomes covered with bluish or grey film of
mucus.
 Loss of appetite, and becomes weak and dies after sometime.
 Another protozoan ciliate chilodon also attacks skin and gills.
 Control Measures
 Both the protozoan are controlled by treating the fish with 1% acetic
acid solution or solution of formalin.
 Solutions of methylene blue, KMnO4, CuSO4 can also be used to kill
the parasite.
COSTIASIS

14. WHITE SPOT
 This disease caused by ciliated protozoan Ichthyophthirius species.
 The parasite attacks the skin of fresh water fish, rest in between epidermis and
dermis .
 Infection results in the appearance of several white spots on the skin
and fin due to rapid proliferation of epidermal cells ,which forms a covering
over the parasite.
 The entire body of the fish are covered by nodules trophonts.
CONTROL MEASURES
 The fish kept in the 3% salt solution or 1% solution of formaline and then
methylene (2 minutes).
 The parasite also killed by rising up the temperature above 24 degree celicious.

16. FUNGAL DISEASE
 The fungal disease is mainly caused by seprolegnia and are
characterised by the appearance of wool (tufts) on the skin.
 Root like hyphae or filaments grows in to the subcutaneous parts,
causing death of the fish.
 Gills are also affected causing gill rot .Gill first becomes pale then latter
yellow-brown and destroyed.
 The infection spread quickly when the fish is already injured and
weak.Healthy eggs also affected if dead eggs are not removed from the
water.
CONTOL MEASURE
 The fish is taken out from the water and the affected part washed with
iodine solution,then the fish kept under 1% potassium dichromate for a
week.
 We could also kept the fish under 3% solution of salt as well as 1%
solution of phenoxethol also kills the fungi.

18. SWIM BLADDER DISEASE
 Swim bladder disease refers to a condition when the
swim bladder donot work normally due to diseases
or environmental factors.
 Affected fish will exhibit problems with buoyancy
that is ,they will have difficulty controlling their
ability to flout or sink.
 Fish have swollen belly, mainly observed in gold fish.
 Affected fish may eat normally or have no appetite at
all.This disorder is some times caused by
compression of swim bladder,which may involve a
distended stomach from rapid eating or overeating
or gulping air.

19. CON….
 Gestrointestinal tract enlargement puts pressure on the swim
bladder or other abdominal may enlarge and affect the swim
blader (kidney and liver)
 Due to swim bladder disease, fishes don’t maintain normal
position in the water.
CONTROL MEASURE
 If the fishes have SBD, the first course of action is not to feed
fish for three days.At the same increasing water
temperature(80 degree celicious).
 Adding small amount of salt in the tank.Reducing the water
level to make it easier for fish movement around the
tank.Hand feeding is necessary.

21. CONCLUSION
 The disease is harmful for both wild and cultured
fishes of our country.
 Disease in fishes may cause a heavy loss for
commercially cultured fishes. So we should be
know about the signs and symptoms of disease,
that we can easily find out the proper treatment .
 Fisheries is an important tool of self-employment
because fish is an important source of nutrients
and have have great economic value.

22. REFERENCE
• S.S. KHANA and H R SING. Fish biology and
fisheries.
• Biology of fishs ;3rd edition by RICHARD
MOORE AND QUENTIN BONE.