Evaluation of Beef Liver, Fruits, and Vegetables as Dietary Supplements for Indoor Nursery Culture of Freshwater Prawns Macrobrachium rosenbergii

Abstract

Frozen beef liver fed at dietary levels of 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25% (dry weight) to postlarval Mucrobruchium rosenbergii was evaluated as a supplement to Mna Trout Chow No. 2. Final mean wet weights and yields of prawns fed 15, 20, and 25% beef liver were significantly higher than those of prawns that received 5 and 10% levels. Survival rates and food conversion ratios of dry matter fed to wet biomass produced were not significantly different among treatments. The suitability of 47 fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables as dietary supplements was tested. Fourteen fruits and vegetables sank and were readily consumed by prawns, and seven (fresh orange and sweet potato, and frozen banana, carrot tops, butternut squash, yellow squash, and turnip greens) were tested as supplements (10% dry weight of the total ration) to trout chow and 15% beef liver. There were no significant differences (P < 0.05) in final mean weight, survival, yield, or food conversion ratio. Pigmentation of prams fed carrot tops or turnip greens was enhanced. No significant differences in final mean weight, yield, or survival were found when frozen banana was evaluated at levels of 0, 5,10,15, and 20% as a supplement to trout chow and 15% beef liver. Food conversion ratios for prawns fed 15 and 20% levels of banana were not different from those fed 10%, but were significantly higher than for prawns fed the 0 and 5% levels. Thus, a diet of Purina Trout Chow No. 2 plus 15% beef liver gives good results with postlarval M. rosenbergii in aquaria. Largescale testing and an economic analysis are needed to determine if this diet is practical for commercial prawn nurseries.

Supplementation of Commercial Feeds with Beef Liver for Indoor Nursery Culture of Freshwater Prawns Macrobrachiurn rosenbergii

“…Performances of prawns fed the three best diets in the present study were similar to those of prawns fed the Purina 2 feed with supplementary beef liver in 6-wk studies of Heinen and Mensi (1 99 1) and Garces and Heinen (1993). Heinen and Mensi (1991) had found that the Zeigler feed was inferior to the Purina 2 feed in the absence of a liver supplement, while results in the present study suggest that beef liver compensated for deficiencies in the Zeigler feed, assuming this feed was essentially the same in both studies.…”

“…Heinen and Mensi (1 99 1) and Garces and Heinen (1993) speculated that the value of beef liver as a supplement for prawns might be due to its content of cholesterol or B vitamins. Good performance of prawns fed beef liver may also be related to its rapid consumption, perhaps minimizing leaching of important nutrients.…”

Status of freshwater prawn farming: a review

“…Subsequently. Garces & Heinen (1993) carried out an experiment designed to identify a practical daily amount of beef liver for good nursery yields of freshwater prawns, to identify readily consumed fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables and to examine the effect of using them to supplement a trout chow-beef liver diet. Fourteen of the 47 fruits and vegetables tested sank and were consumed by prawns.…”

Evaluation of pink perch (Nemipterus japonicus) meat incorporated diet on growth and survival of post-larvae of Macrobrachium rosenbergii (de Man)

“…In plastic 40-liter containers with 20 litres of water apiece, the experiment was conducted for 30 days. There was a constant 2 L-1 supply of post-larvae (Garces and Heinen 1989) [12] . Four replications of each treatment were performed.…”