Growth and survival of Mudfish (Clarias anguillaris) hatchlings fed various natural and artificial feeds as test starter diets for indoor nursery management

Abstract

An exotic zooplankton (Artemia salina), indigenous zooplankton (mixed population) and powdered fishmeal were compared as starter diets in the early nursery management of Clarias anguillaris hatchlings. The diets were considered both exclusively and in various combinations to form eight diet treatments (A-H). The various diets were fed to three-day old hatchlings of Clarias anguillaris in aerated aquaria tanks for a period of four weeks. All fish in treatment C (fishmeal only) and H (no feeding) died after the first week of the experiment. Survival in the other treatments ranged between 84.0% and 88.0% but no significant differences (P > 0.05) were observed in the survival values. The greatest increases in body weight (222.5 mg) and total length (25.8 mm) were recorded with the control diet, G (Artemia + zooplankton + fishmeal) while the least increases (0.4 mg and 0.9 mm) were obtained with treatment H (no feeding). Diet G was also highest in specific and mean growth rates but the values were not significantly different from those obtained with diet E (Artemia + zooplankton). The growth pattern of fish fed the different diets, however, showed that during the first week of the experiment, Artemia diet (A) performed best but was overtaken by diet G which remained the best diet from the second week to the end of the experiment. No particular diet was considered most suitable for the four-week period of the experiment. Rather, feeding the hatchlings with only Artemia nauplii during the first 10 days of life and a mixture of Artemia, zooplankton and fishmeal thereafter, was recommended as the most satisfactory feeding plan/protocol for the indoor nursery management of Clarias anguillaris hatchlings.



JOURNAL OF AQUATIC SCIENCES Volume 16, Number 2, October 2001, pp. 127-131