These are 3 Ways to Overcome Dead Fish in Aquaculture Ponds!

Fish farming has quite profitable potential because most Indonesian people consume fish. However, there are many challenges in fish farming. One of the challenges that can cause losses is the death of fish.

You need to know the causes and must immediately deal with fish deaths, so as not to make big losses.

Come on, see this article to find out the causes and how to deal with dead fish in ponds!

Causes of Dead Fish in Ponds

There are many reasons why fish die in ponds. For this reason, you need to know the causes of fish death so that you can take action to prevent fish death.

The following are the factors that cause fish death:

1. Weather Factors

Weather factors, especially when it rains, can cause fish to die suddenly. Rain causes changes in water quality so that there are fish that cannot adapt quickly which causes fish to die.

2. Disease attack

Disease attacks can cause fish to float and die. There are many things that can cause fish to die, such as pests, fungi and bacteria.

You need to understand how to treat fish diseases, so that the fish do not experience mass death.

3. Pool Conditions

Fish mortality is caused by unfavorable pond conditions. Dirty ponds, lack of oxygen, and overcrowding can make fish susceptible to disease or stress.

Pond water that is too dirty certainly brings many diseases, while the lack of oxygen makes fish unable to breathe properly. Stressed fish, their appetite will decrease until it eventually leads to the death of the fish.

4. Overcrowded Pool

The number of fish that is too high can interfere with fish growth. If the pond is too crowded, the fish cannot move their bodies freely and do not get enough oxygen. For this reason, you need to avoid stocking densities that are too high so as not to cause death to the fish.

5. Excessive Feeding

Maybe you think that excessive feeding will accelerate fish growth.

In fact, overfeeding will actually poison the fish. Leftover uneaten feed and fish excrement will accumulate in the pond so that the water quality decreases.

6. Pool Water Temperature and pH Increase

Increased water temperature can cause fish to die. The best pond water temperature for fish farming is around 25-30℃.

In addition, the pH level also affects the fish. A pH that is too high can damage the skin and internal organs of the fish. A good pH level for fish is 6.5-7.5.

7. Stress Fish

For fish, stress can result in death. Stress on fish is caused by lack of oxygen, stocking densities that are too high, and unstable environmental conditions. 

When there is a change in environmental conditions, such as during a new water change, it will generally cause stress so that the fish cannot tolerate changes in water which causes the fish to die after changing water.

Fish that are stressed will lose their appetite, be lazy to move, and are always at the bottom of the pond. If that's the case, the fish will get sick.

You are advised to separate fish that already have these characteristics from other fish, because even if there is only one fish that is stressed and has a disease, other fish can also be infected because there are several diseases that can be transmitted through water.

How to Overcome Dead Fish in Ponds

After knowing the cause of the fish in the pond dying, you also need to know how to deal with it. The way to prevent fish from dying is to make them healthier.

Here's how to deal with fish that show signs of death in a pond:

1. Pool Sanitation

Fish can live well with pond sanitation. To sanitize a pool is not difficult, you just have to make sure the pool has good circulation so that dirt can come out.

Here's how to properly sanitize a pool:

• Install a filter or pump so that water can flow out and be replaced with new water.
• Clean the pond manually if there is trash coming in and install a barrier so that no pests enter to prey on fish.
• Put the fish in a special pond when you are cleaning the pond.
• Clean the fish pond every day to make sure there is no dirt left behind.

2. Fish Sanitation

Sanitation of fish is an effort to prevent disease. The method is as follows:

• Fish that show signs of disease should be separated from other fish and treated separately.
• Do not dispose of water used for transporting fish into fish farming ponds.
• The equipment used to catch or transport fish must be maintained so that it does not contain organisms that are harmful to fish.
• The fish that will be transferred to the pond are first soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate at a dose of 20 grams/㎥ of water for 30 minutes. After soaking, the fish are immediately removed and transferred to the rearing pond. If deemed necessary, soaking with KMnO4 can be repeated after 3-4 days.

3. Feeding according to time and dosage

Feed is something that supports fish health. Feeding fish must be timely and according to the measure. Some things that must be considered in feeding:

• Total daily consumption of feed 3-5% body weight.
• Feeding time is in the morning at 8.00 and in the afternoon at 16.00.
• Feeding 2-3 times a day.
• Feeding was carried out until the satiety level of 80% (Adlibitum).

4. Water Quality

Pool water quality must always be maintained. Water quality affects the growth, health level, and survival of fish. Poor water quality can cause fish to experience stress and decreased immunity, easy pathogens to develop, and potential for disease.

Good water quality for fish, including:

How to Prevent Dead Fish in Ponds

After knowing how to deal with dead fish in ponds, you also need to pay attention to how to prevent them, so that there are no more dead fish.

Here's how to prevent fish from dying in ponds:

1. Selection of Quality Fish

One of the causes of dead fish is disease. Meanwhile, one of the causes of disease in fish is bad genetics. To prevent this, you have to look for superior fish.

Here's how to choose superior fish:

• Choose seeds that are still 4-5 months old with a body weight of about 120 grams.
• Uniform size with a level of uniformity > 95%.
• Try giving feed to fish seeds, healthy fish will immediately eat the feed given.
• Fish seeds are not physically disabled and injured.
• Movement agile and agile.
• Free from disease

2. Provision of Supplements

Giving supplements or vitamins can prevent disease in fish. The benefits of giving supplements to fish are that they can accelerate growth rates, increase appetite, and improve fish digestion.