Allotment Articles1.
Allotment Articles 2.
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Fish Under Stress
People now acknowledge that stress is a big problem with modern day life, but what a lot of people don’t realize is that animals can also suffer stress. Some people understand that animals in cages suffer from the stress of being confined and that is perhaps one reason why zoos are on the decline. But who ever gives a thought for the humble Goldfish, or prize Koi carp. There are many ways that fish can be put under stress and it can lead to many problems, some even fatal.
The first time a fish is subjected to a lot of stress in its life is when it is exported from its place of rearing in perhaps Japan and transported to dealers tanks in this country. Bigger fish are often drugged to stop them thrashing about and reduce the stress levels. The fish are guaranteed disease free when they are packed but transporting them can lead to high stress levels which in turn leads to mysterious disease outbreaks and sometimes many fatalities.
After you have bought your fish you take it home in a plastic bag and it is again put under stress. Without pure oxygen in the bag it will survive for about 2 hours, or so, before it goes into shock. All you can do for it then is to get it into some fresh water as quickly as possible and pray.
When fish get too big for the tank, or pool they get frustrated and jump out. The fish can be under so much stress and get so excited that it bleeds from the gills. However, in good water conditions no permanent harm will be done to it. If a white Koi is under stress the blood vessels will dilate and give the fish a pink colouration. This is one reason why, at Koi shows, it is important to rest fish prior to showing to allow the fish to relax and regain its normal bright colours.
Mating time is another cause of stressful conditions and a weakened female needs good food and a general medicine added to the water as a preventative measure and to help her regain her good health and vigor. There are other things that can put fish under stress such as changing water conditions, temperature, PH and chemistry. All will make the fish more susceptible to mysterious diseases that suddenly appear in healthy fish.
So when you suddenly lose fish don’t first blame the dealer where you bought the fish from, think of anything you might have done wrong to put the fish under stress and try to remedy the situation for the next time.
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