So you have a sick fish - panic - you start to go through all the books and the net to try and find out what is wrong... diagnosing a sick fish is really difficult and let's face it, fish can sometimes too just have a 'down' day as well. You sometimes don't even know what is wrong with the fish but you know it is not well... most people at this stage start throwing in salt or spectrum meds for different diseases. But wait.... what a lot of fish keepers sadly do not think about is vitamin deficiency and the effects it can have on fish - no medicine will help in this case but a proper diet.
Feeding your fish an improper diet is as common a mistake as overfeeding.
Providing the correct diet is essential for fish growth and health. Dietary deficiencies will not only shorten the lifespan of fish and cause many diseases, but will also contribute to a deteriorating water quality by polluting the water.
The diet of fish varies based on their individual nutritional needs. Some require meaty foods (carnivores), some plants (herbivores) and some a combination of both (omnivores).
Protein is necessary for growth and for repair of cells and body tissue. Proteins must be supplied regularly to ensure good growth and health. It is the most expensive component in feed and may comprise anywhere from 25 percent to 55 percent of the diet, depending on the fish species and size. While it is an important source of energy, excessive protein will simply increase ammonia production. Fish and shrimp meals are common sources of protein in fish feeds.
Lipids (fats and oils) are important to fish since they provide energy and allow the uptake of fat-soluble vitamins and other crucial nutrients. They are available from many sources, and extra fats can be stored in the body. Too much fat can affect the liver’s ability to filter and cleanse the blood.
Like fats, carbohydrates provide energy for body functions. However, only omnivores (meat and plant eaters) and herbivores (plant eaters) utilize carbohydrates well; carnivores (meat eaters) do not.
So here's a look at the different vitamins fish need, why and the effects of deficiency: -
Fat Soluble Vitamins
Vitamin A
Functions: - normal vision, cell growth and resistance to infection
Deficiencies: - poor growth, poor vision, abnormal bone formation and hemorrhaging at the base of the fins
Vitamin E
Functions: - antioxidant, may play a role in muscle cell respiration
Deficiencies: - anemia and poor growth
Water Soluble Vitamins
Thiamine (B1)
Functions: - aids growth, digestion and fertility, nervous system
Deficiencies: - poor appetite, muscle atrophy, convulsions, loss of equilibrium and poor growth
Riboflavin (B2)
Functions: - vision, protein metabolism and enzyme functioning
Deficiencies: - photophobia, cloudy lens, dim vision, abnormal colouration of the iris, striated constrictions on the abdominal wall, dark pigmentation, poor appetite, anemia and poor growth
Nicotinic Acid (niacin, B3)
Functions: - plays an important role in lipid, protein and amino acid metabolism
Deficiencies: - loss of appetite, poor growth, lesions in colon, erratic motion and weakness, edema of stomach and colon
Pantothenic Acid (B5)
Functions: - adrenal functioning, cholersterol production, normal physiology and metabolism
Deficiencies: - poor growth, sluggishness, clubbed gills, loss of appetite, hemmorhagic skin and cellular atrophy
Pyroxidine (B6)
Functions: - plays a vital role in enzyme systems and protein metabolism
Deficiencies: - nervous disorders, fits, loss of appetite, poor growth, rapid and gasping breathing, flexing of opercles and hyperirritability
Cyanocobalamin (B12)
Functions: - enzyme systems, cholesterol metabolism
Deficiencies: - poor appetite, poor growth, anemia and dark pigmentation
Ascorbic Acid (C)
Functions: - enzyme systems, bone, tooth and cartilage formation and healing
Deficiencies: - hemorrhagic shin, kidneys, liver, intestine and muscle tissue, eye lesions and scoliosis of the spine
Biotin (H)
Functions: - enzyme systems, purine and lipid synthesis, oxidation of lipids and carbohydrates
Deficiencies: - loss of appetite, poor growth, anemia, skin lesions and muscle atrophy
Choline
Functions: - good growth and food conversion
Deficiencies: - poor growth, poor food conversion, hemorrhagic kidney and intestine
Folic Acid (M)
Functions: - blood cell formation, blood glucose regulation and fish metabolism
Deficiencies: - poor growth, lethargy, dark skin, anemia and fragility of the caudal fin
Inositol
Functions: - cell membrane permeability
Deficiencies: - poor growth, distended stomach, skin lesions and increased gastric emptying time
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