SEDATION OF NILE TILAPIA WITH ESSENTIAL OILS: TEA TREE, CLOVE, EUCALYPTUS, AND MINT OILS

ABSTRACT Essential oils have been extensively used in many commercial applications, one of them being anesthetics. The effect of four essential oils (tea tree, clove, eucalyptus, and mint oils) on the sedation, recovery, and behavioral stress of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) was evaluated. The sedative solutions, prepared with essential oils and anhydrous ethanol (1:4), were used for fish management procedures at a dose of 7.4 mL L-1 in a completely randomized block design with four treatments and seven replicates. The means were compared using Scott-Knott test (P < 0.05). Clove oil was found to be the most suitable oil for the immobilization of Nile tilapia; however, behavioral observations indicate that tea tree oil was the most efficient in reducing stress.