Effects of stocking density on the growth and breeding performance of broodfish and larval growth and survival of shol, <i>Channa striatus</i> (Bloch)

Abstract

Two experiments were conducted with a view to assessing the effects of stocking densities on the growth and breeding performance and larval growth and survival of Channa striatus. The first one was carried out with a view to find a suitable stocking density of Channa striatus at which they could spawn while the second experiment dealt with the effect of stocking density on growth and survival of the produced larvae. The first experiment was carried out in nine equal-sized chambers of raceway separated by netted wooden frame with an area of 1.83 ×1.12m 2 each. The effective water depth in each of the raceway chambers was maintained at 1.2m. The broodfish were stocked at 4 (357.22g/m 2 ), 6 (541.78g/m 2 ) and 8 (719.18g/m 2 ) at 1:1 male-female ratio and fed with washed and chopped poultry viscera twice a day and with live silver carp fry twice a week. No significant (P>0.05) difference in weight and specific growth rate was observed among the broodfish reared under different stocking densities during the experimental period of 80 days. The broodfish stocked at a density of 357.22g/m 2 and 541.78g/m 2 spawned naturally in their respective chambers. The fish stocked at 541.78g/m 2 showed the best breeding performance. The second experiment was carried out with 4-5 days old larvae in 9 bowls of 10l capacity divided into three treatments having 20, 40 and 60 larvae each i.e. the stocking density were of 2, 4 and 6 larvae/l respectively. Larvae of treatment I which was stocked with 2 larvae/l showed significantly higher growth rate from the 7 th day of the experiment and maintained the same trend up to the end of the experiment (i.e. 21 st day) compared to other treatments. Larvae of treatment I also showed significantly higher health condition (13.31±0.69mg/mm) and survival rate (80.00±3.00) compared to those of the other two.

Survival and growth responses of snakehead fish Channa striata Bloch. juvenile in aerated and unaerated acid sulfate water

“…Snakehead fish is a potential species and has an important value to be developed as an aquaculture commodity (Marimuthu et al, 2009;Mollah et al, 2009;Rahman et al, 2013). This fish has a high economic value with the price in the market ranging Rp55,000-Rp65,000/Kg (Kusumaningrum et al, 2014).…”

Development of Captive Breeding, Seed Production and Culture Techniques of Snakehead Fish for Species Conservation and Sustainable Aquaculture

“…Captive reproduction and larval rearing of snakehead have been accomplished experimentally, but are not done on a commercial scale [2,10]. Attempts have been made to develop rearing techniques for snakehead in Hawaii, USA [16].…”

“…The suitability of wild live food organisms as food in the larval rearing of the fish and prawn larvae was indicated earlier [20]. Many studies reported the utilization of cultured live food organisms as food [2,21,22]. For the development of any aquaculture operation, one of the main obstacles to overcome is the availability of fry/fingerlings [23].…”

“…In Bangladesh, C. striatus, locally referred to as 'Shol', is an economically important species along with other species of the genus Channa [2,3]. It is one of the main food fishes in Thailand, Indo-China and Malaysia [2,3]. The heavy dark skin of snakehead is good for soup and is usually sold separately [4].…”

“…The heavy dark skin of snakehead is good for soup and is usually sold separately [4]. Snakehead is commercially cultivated in Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, India and Pakistan [2,3,5,6]. It is an airbreathing fish and highly regarded as a food in Asia because its flesh is claimed to be rejuvenating, particularly for those recuperating from a serious illness [7] and as a post natal diet [5].…”