The efficacy of chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) oil as a promising anaesthetic agent for two freshwater aquarium fish species

The efficacy of anesthetic chamomile oil (from Matricaria chamomilla L.) was evaluated in two freshwater aquarium fish species, Electric Blue Hap (Sciaenochromis fryeri) and Yellow Princess (Labidochromis caeruleus). Fish were exposed to ten concentrations of anesthetic (0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9 and 1.0 ml/L). The optimal concentrations identified as 0.6 ml/L for deep anesthesia (A5) for both two species. The minimal sedative concentration at the stage of loss of equilibrium (A3) was found to be 0.3 ml/L. The induction time generally decreased significantly with increasing concentrations of chamomile oil for all treatment groups. Recovery time tended to increase with increased chamomile oil at concentrations lower than 0.7 ml/L, but after this concentration it decreased. Chamomile oil proved to be effective as an anesthetic for both ornamental fish species. These findings suggest that chamomile oil is a promising anesthetic agent for aquaculture. However, further studies should be focused on species based investigations on the effect of temperature, transfer of fish, and their effect on antioxidant and oxidant status, in order to gather further information.