Check the Causes and How to Overcome Hanging Catfish

Have you ever found catfish hanging on the surface of the water? Usually the head of the catfish will be visible on the surface of the water, while the body and tail are below the surface of the water. 

There are many causes of hanging catfish. One of them is because catfish are exposed to certain diseases or viruses that make their condition seem like they are hanging in the water.

When the catfish is in a hanging position, the activity of the fish is disrupted because the condition of its swimming body is not vertical, although there are also catfish that swim in an oblique position when exposed to hanging catfish disease. 

If you don't immediately find out the cause and how to treat it, then the risk of death in catfish is even higher. The following are the causes of hanging catfish and how to deal with hanging catfish.

What is Hanging Catfish?

Healthy catfish can swim anywhere or just swim at the bottom of the pond. Occasionally the catfish will swim to the surface of the pond and then swim back down quickly. Of course, the condition of hanging catfish is very different from the condition of healthy catfish.

The condition of hanging catfish is a condition in which the head of the catfish is visible on the surface of the water, while the body and tail are below. Under such conditions, catfish cannot swim vertically and tend to swim in an inclined position. If this abnormal event is not treated immediately, death in catfish can occur.

When catfish are seen hanging at night, then most likely the cause of the hanging catfish is the catfish's stomach is full and full after being fed too much. You can leave it like that because catfish just need rest. However, if it turns out that the hanging position of the catfish continues to occur for quite a long time, then you need to immediately identify the cause. 

One of the most common causes of hanging catfish is poor pool water quality. This causes the catfish to stress and swim hanging. However, if the quality of the pond water is good and the catfish's position has not changed, you need to find out the cause and treat the hanging catfish.

Early Symptoms of Hanging Catfish

Before knowing the causes of hanging catfish, first know the initial symptoms before hanging catfish. There are three initial symptoms of hanging catfish, namely catfish activity that begins to decrease, catfish hanging at night, indicated catfish have been infected with non-infectious diseases, and hypoxia occurs.

1. Decreased Reaction and Activity

Cultivators can tell which catfish are hanging which are normal fish when giving feed. Generally, the stocked feed will provoke the catfish to swim agilely and agilely, while the hanging catfish hardly experience this reaction.

In addition, catfish activity was also seen to decrease. After feeding, sick catfish will show abnormal conditions, such as the head is always visible on the surface of the pond. In addition to decreased swimming agility, catfish that are often silent can also be an indication of being attacked by this hanging catfish disorder.

2. Catfish Hanging at Night

The next initial symptom is that catfish can be seen hanging at night. The cause of catfish hanging at night can be due to satiety or water quality. Reduced dissolved oxygen levels in the pond can trigger catfish to hang so that the temperature at the bottom of the aquaculture pond cools down. Under these conditions, the pH level of the water usually decreases.

3. Infected with Non-Infectious Diseases

This hanging catfish position is one of the symptoms that fish have been infected with non-infectious diseases that are often experienced by cultivated fish. There are two causes of non-infectious diseases, namely environmental factors such as conditions, temperature and chemical factors, as well as lifestyle, for example catfish are often stressed or do not get feed on schedule.

4. Hypoxia occurs

Catfish can also hang because hypoxia has occurred, which is a condition when oxygen levels in the pond decrease but ammonia levels increase. It can also cause catfish hanging bulk.

Causes of Hanging Catfish

Meanwhile, there are 5 causes of hanging catfish, namely due to pond water quality, wrong feeding, increased amount of ammonia, fish experiencing stress, and catfish seeds infected with disease.

1. Poor Water Quality

Poor water quality is the main cause of hanging catfish. This is because catfish do not feel comfortable swimming in the pond so they decide to be in a hanging position. Cultivators need to carry out routine checks periodically for oxygen levels and water pH levels.

Normal water pH is at 7-8. However, these numbers fluctuate easily. One of the contributing factors is when it rains, the pool water will mix with rainwater and affect the pH value of the water. You will more often see catfish hanging on the surface when it rains.

If this position occurs for a long time, the condition of the fish will quickly weaken and be susceptible to other catfish diseases and viruses.

2. Feeding in large quantities

Catfish feed is an important factor to accelerate the growth and development of catfish, especially catfish seeds. But when the amount exceeds normal requirements, the catfish will easily be full and swim hanging on the surface to relax.

Apart from making the catfish hang, the habit of feeding in an amount exceeding the normal limit is also not good for the quality of pond water because the remaining feed will settle to the bottom of the pond and affect the quality of the pond.

3. Increased Ammonia Levels

As previously mentioned, feeding in large quantities can cause overfeeding and the rest of the feed will settle to the bottom of the pond. These feed deposits can affect dissolved oxygen levels in aquaculture ponds. When oxygen levels decrease and catfish feed sediments mix with ammonia, pond water quality will be disrupted. Viruses and toxins will appear in the pool.

In addition, the levels of H2This high S and ammonia will be difficult to decompose into nitrates or nitrites. To overcome this, cultivators can pay attention and replace pool water regularly.

4. Catfish Stress

All of the causes of hanging catfish that have been mentioned above can also be a cause of increasing stress levels in catfish. In fact, increased stress on catfish does not only occur in adult catfish, but also with catfish seeds.

Catfish seeds will try to adapt to a pond environment that has poor water quality. It is possible that the seeds will also hang, so that the growth of catfish seeds will be stunted.

5. Disease infected catfish seeds

The cause of the last hanging catfish is because the catfish seeds have been infected with a virus or disease, such as curly whiskers, parasites, bloating, and other types of diseases.

How to Overcome Hanging Catfish

How to deal with catfish hanging on fish seeds and adult catfish is different. If you see dangling catfish seeds and find it difficult to identify the disease and its causes, you can take the following steps:

1. Give feed to catfish seeds in small quantities. In juvenile catfish, let it fast.
2. Clean up leftover feed and other dirt at the bottom of the aquaculture pond.
3. Pay close attention to which seeds are hanging which are not, then separate the two types of seeds.
4. Prepare the crushed garlic, then sprinkle it on the hanging catfish pond. After that, sprinkle salt.

Meanwhile, there are three ways to deal with adult catfish that are affected by this hanging disorder, which are routinely changing the pool water, maintaining the aquaculture pond, and adjusting the amount of feeding the catfish.

1. Change Pool Water

Changing the pool water can help you get rid of the hanging catfish. There are special rules or provisions when cleaning and changing fish pond water. Dispose of pool water at least 20%-50% of the total volume of water in the cultivation pond. However, if the water quality is very bad, then you can throw away 70%-80% of the total volume of pool water and replace it with a new one.

But before changing the water, the catfish must be fed first at least 12 hours before the time to change the pool water. After that, you need to pay attention to the reactions and activities of the catfish to make sure the catfish is really experiencing problems with hanging catfish. You are advised to change the water in the morning or evening.

2. Giving Hanging Catfish Medicine

After making sure that the pool water has been replaced and the water quality is good, you can treat the catfish pond by giving hanging catfish medication. The goal is that this hanging catfish disease does not reappear. 

You can use premium probiotics that contain bacillus or nitrobacter bacteria to break down ammonia. Three types of bacillus bacteria are suggested among them Bacillus Pumilus, Bacillus Brevis, And Bacillus Mycoides.

In addition to spreading the probiotics, you can give the drug by mixing it into the catfish feed. Other hanging catfish remedies that can be used are papaya leaves, noni, or pace to improve the water quality of aquaculture ponds.

3. Feeding Rules

The last way to deal with hanging catfish is to regulate catfish feeding such as schedules and nutrient levels in fish feed. Ideally, the amount of nutrients and nutrients contained in catfish feed is specific, such as 4.8% fat, 76% water, and 1.2% minerals.

Meanwhile, the amount of feed given ranged from 3%-5% of the total body weight of the catfish per day. Set a catfish feeding schedule in one day. However, if you find catfish that are still reluctant to eat and continue to swim hanging, then you can use the fasting method for one day and one night for these fish.