What causes stress and how does it affect our fish?
As a fish hobbyist you all will have surely come across a situation when your fish died,its a painful experience.There are many reasons for the death ,one among them is STRESS.Before we discuss the effects of stress on fish it is important to understand the definition of stress:Stress is a response to demand placed on an organism.The body of fish react to two types of stress-Acute Stress and Chronic Stress.
Acute Stress:
Acute stress is usually caused by netting and handling,when encountering a predator would invoke the acute stress response.It is similar to what you feel when you near-miss’when driving your car or crossing the road — the heart rate races,breathing quickens, blood vessels in the skin making you look pale.
Chronic Stress:
Causes of chronic stress are inappropriate tank size,aggressive tank mates or malnutrition.In the wild, a fish encountering a chronic
stress such as polluted water, may well be able to escape the conditions by swimming away and stress bought about during breeding season soon passes.In captivity,pollutants, aggressors or poor diet cannot be escaped and the continuing release of corticosteroid hormones has long-term consequences as physiological systems not immediately essential for survival start to shut down or dysfunction.
Five Ways to reduce stress on fish:
1.Ensure your tank is big enough for the
fish you are keeping.
2.Make sure you keep your fish away
from any perceived threats such as
cats, loud children and predatory fish.
3. Feed fish regularly and appropriately
to make sure they receive the
correct nutrition for their species and
feeding patterns.
4 .Ensure good water quality —
5. Make sure that you are prepared and
efficient when handling fish to
minimize disruption.
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