SitroPro as an Alternative Treatment for Seabass, Lates calcarifer Infested with Marine Leech, Zeylanicobdella arugamensis

Fadzilah Yusof,  & Azmi Rani, Saberi Mawi dan Zainoddin Jamari
Brackish Water Aquaculture Research Division
FRI Gelang Patah,
Johor Bahru Johor

Most global aquaculture practices nowadays turn their pathway to nature.  The usage of chemicals especially to treat diseases of fishes is slowly reduced.  Herbs extract was used everywhere as the alternative medicine in aquaculture.  This so called phenomenon is due to food safety purposes as well as for the operators' wellbeing.  This experiment was to ensure the ability of herbs extract developed by FRI GP namely SitroPro, to treat seabass (Lates calcarifer) infested with the marine leech (Zeylanicobdella arugamensis) and to get the optimum dosage of SitroPro to be used.  Marine leech infected seabass were isolated into the treatment tanks and treated bath with 50, 75, 100, 150 & 200ppm SitroPro repeated for 3 consecutive days.  The treatment then were continue with fish feed sprayed with SitroPro at 50, 75, 100, 150 & 200ppm (v / w) and fed in respective tanks for 7 days consecutively.  Bath treatment with SitroPro 100ppm for 4 to 24 hours for marine leech infected seabass was effective enough to remove the marine leech from the fish body.  The water had to be changed at least after 24 hours.  The bath treatment then best to be followed with 100ppm SitroPro sprayed to fish feed and fed for at least 7 consecutive days.