Bath Treatment ...rawatan untuk ikan yang diserang penyakit

Types of Bath Treatments
There are three basic types of bath treatments: dips (less than 1 minute), short-term baths (about 1 hour), and prolonged baths (indefinite). The difference between these bath treatments is the concentration of the chemical applied and the period of time that the fish are in contract with the chemical.

A Dip is just what the name implies. The fish is dipped into a concentrated chemical bath for a short period of time, often less than one minute. Prolonged exposure to the chemical at the high concentration delivered in a dip would be fatal to the fish. Because fatalities can easily result from an improperly administered dip treatment, and because sick fish are generally intolerant of stressful situations, dip treatments are often avoided by many aquarists. An exception to this may be the use of salt water dips when moving fresh water fish, and the use of fresh water dips when moving salt water fish. These techniques are discussed in a separate IFAS Fact Sheet, Use of Salt to Treat Fish Diseases.

A Short-Term Bath means that the fish are subjected to a moderate chemical concentration for a period of time ranging from 30 minutes to several hours. This is an excellent method for administering many medications to fish kept in aquaria, tanks, or raceways. The duration of exposure to the chemical will be determined by the chemical used, the concentration of chemical used, and the facility in which the fish are housed. In most cases, water flow and filtration are shut down while the chemical is in contact with the fish. This prevents rapid dilution of the chemical by in-flowing water and also prevents the chemical from coming in contact with bacteria in the biofilter. If the water flow and circulation is shut down during the treatment, water quality should be monitored to prevent harmful increases in ammonia concentration. Vigorous aeration should always be maintained during treatment.


A Prolonged Bath means that small concentrations of chemical are applied and left in the water on a permanent basis, where it will eventually break down and disappear. This is the only method of administering a bath treatment to pond fish. Because of the low concentrations of chemical applied, a prolonged bath is often the least expensive and safest way of administering a chemical bath. A prolonged bath is not recommended, however, when fish are crowded in a relatively small area such as a tank or vat. Shutting off water flow or filtration for an extended period of time (more than 2-4 hours) under tank conditions is likely to result in serious degradation of water quality which could further stress, or kill directly, the fish.