Stress - Its role in fish
Stressed fish
Stress is a condition in which an animal is unable to maintain normal physiological state because of various factors negatively affecting its well being. Stress can be caused by placing a fish in a situation that is beyond its normal level of tolerance. Some examples of the 3 types of stressors are listed in the Figure below:
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| Stressed Koi fish |
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| 3 main types of stressors in fish |
1. Chemical
stressors:
Some examples of chemical stressors include poor water
quality, pollution, diet composition or nitrogenous and other metabolic wastes.
a. Poor water
quality - Low dissolved oxygen, improper pH, too high or too low temperature
b. Pollution - Intentional pollution: chemical treatments or Accidental pollution: insect sprays
c. Diet
composition - Type of protein, amino acids
d. Nitrogenous
and other metabolic wastes - Accumulation of ammonia or nitrite
2. Biological
stressors:
Some examples of chemical stressors include population
density, other species of fish, microorganisms and macro organisms.
a. Population
density - Crowding of the fish
b. Other species
of fish - Aggression, territoriality, lateral swimming space requirements
c. Micro organisms - Pathogenic and non pathogenic
d. Macro organisms - Internal and external parasites
3. Physical
stressors:
Some examples of chemical stressors include temperature,
light, sounds and dissolved gases.
a. Temperature - Fluctuations influence the immune system of fish
b. Light -
c. Sounds
d. Dissolved
gases
As goes the quote - prevention of fish should be the aim of a fish culturist rather than losing money and time in treating a diseased fish.
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