Journal of the Marine Biological Association of India

Laboratory experiments on growth of penaeid prawns fed with artificial pellets

Volume 33 Issue 1&2

M. M.Thomas, M. Kathirvel and K. V. George

Abstract

Artificial feeds were compounded using wheat flour, tapioca powder, coconut cake, groundnut cake, flshmeal, prawnmeal and mineral supplement in different proportions, in pellet form, with agar-agar as binding agent. Feed numbers 1 to 19 were with protein contents ranging from 15.31 % to 30.63 %. Starch contents varied from 7.31 to 44.32% while fat contents were much less (0.04 to 4.35%). Feeding experiments of 60 days duration were conducted with post larvae (TL=5.10 to 5.69 mm) and juveniles (TL=21.0to36.0 mm) of Metapenaeus dobsoni and Penaeus indicus (TL=10.10 to 14.60 mm) in aquarium tanks of 30 X 30 X 60 cm, containing 25 litres of sea water and plastic pools of 1 m diameter, containing 150 litres of seawater. The prawns exhibited average growth rates ranging from 0.225 to 0.574 mm per day. Feed number 15 containing 22.41 % protein gave best results. The average growth rate per day in length and in weight were 0.505 mm and 0.015 g respectively. The cost of these feeds varied from Rs. 1.80 to 3.80 per kilogram.

Date : 31-12-1991