Tilapia Topic: Disease Treatment: Salt (sodium chloride)

Types of salt used to treat fish.

1. Table or rock salt can be used.
2. Seawater.

Information about salt treatment.

Sea salts or salt (sodium chloride) has been used as a dip or bath treatment of freshwater fish for the control of external fungus infection, a few protozoan ectoparasites (e.g. Epistylis), fish lice and Argulus. When fish are transported salt has also been used to reduce stress by lessening the work fish have to do for osmoregulation. Salt or sodium chloride is considered as safe for the treatment of fish intended for human consumption.

For the treatment of ectoparasites, salt is usually administered as a dip. For dosage calculations, salt is considered as 100% active. Dosage level suggested are in the range of 25 to 30 grams per liter and exposure duration from three minutes to as long as one hour. During treatment fish must be carefully watched and removed from the salt solution if signs of stress arise.

To reduce osmotic stress the dosage of salt is 1 to 2 grams per liter as an indefinite bath.

There is no withdrawal time for sodium chloride treatment of fish before the fish can be marketed.

Equipment and supplies needed for salt treatment.

1. Source of table salt (sodium chloride) or prepared sea salts.
2. Gram scale

See also:

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