Artificial breeding and hybridization of African mud fish Clarias gariepinus and Heterobranchus longifilis under indoor recirculatory hatchery condition

Abstract

Hybridization studies carried out on the offspring of two genetic crosses derived from two Clariid catfishes; Clarias gariepinus and Heterobranchus longifilis at the hatchery of Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai. In this present study, cross breeding of Clarias gariepinus and Heterobranchus longifilis was carried out, specimens of Clarias gariepinus female and Heterobranchus longifilis male fishes were obtained from Federal College of Fisheries, New Bussa, Niger State. The brood stock were acclimatized for one week in plastic container and fed with Vita feed. The female fish sample was injected with Ovaprim hormone (0.5ml), and allowed to stay for a latency period of 12hours after which the eggs were stripped into a dry sterile plastic bowl. The male was sacrificed through dissection and the testes were removed from the lobes into a dry petri dish and little physiological saline solution was added. The milt obtained from the male was then poured on the collected eggs from the female and mixed with a dry clean feather for fertilization to take place. After fertilization, the length and weight measurement were taken weekly. The comparative growth and survival at the end of the ten (10) weeks indoor rearing showed that interspecific pure breeding of C. gariepinus male and female had the best survival. The comparison of weight, weight gain and specific growth rate showed that the intergeneric cross of C. gariepinus female and H. longifilis male were more outstanding, when compared to the other at the end of 10 week growth studies.