Effect of Clove Oil and Benzocaine on the Respiratory Metabolism of Angel Fish Pterophyllum Scalare

Anesthetics play an important role in fisheries research and aquaculture and are used to facilitate various handling procedures, such as weighing, sorting, collection of eggs and milt, tagging and medical treatment. Clove oil and benzocaine are approved anesthetic by US Food and Drug Administration. The present study investigates the effect of anesthetics on the respiratory metabolic parameters such as O₂ consumption rate, CO₂ output rate, NH₃-N excretion rate, RQ, AQ and opercular activity of Angel fish, Pterophyllum scalare. The concentration of clove oil and benzocaine were selected based on the time of induction of sedation and recovery of the Angel fish. The concentration of clove oil selected for the Angel fish were 5 ppm, 15 ppm, 30 ppm, 45 ppm, 55 ppm and the benzocaine concentration were 30 ppm, 45 ppm, 50 ppm, 100 ppm, 200 ppm, 300 ppm and 400 ppm. The minimum values of respiratory metabolic parameters in clove oil-anaesthetized Angel fish P.scalare were observed at the concentration of 45 ppm while the same was in 50 ppm in the case of benzocaine treatment. Simulated transportation experiments were conducted for Angel fish and the results suggested that 50ppm benzocaine was the optimum dose of anaesthetics for safe transport of Angel fish.