Journal of the Marine Biological Association of India

On-farm evaluation of formulated diets on the growth and body composition of Etroplus suratensis reared in cages in low-saline coastal ponds

Volume 66 Issue 1

P. Sayooj, P. Vijayagopal, P. A. Vikas, V. N. Anusree and K. K. Vijayan

10.6024/jmbai.2024.66.1.2443-11

Abstract

A 90-day on-farm feeding experiment was carried out in the installed cages in brackishwater ponds to evaluate the efficiency of three formulated diets on the growth performance and body composition of Etroplus suratensis. Two diets DI and DII were in-house formulations based on optimum macronutrient requirements (protein and fat) derived from an indoor nutritional evaluation of E. suratensis, and diet three DIII was a commercially available pellet meant for pearl spot fish. A sum of 900 fishes were randomly distributed with an average weight of 18.2±0.02g into three different treatment groups each in triplicate, and each replicate had 100 fishes stocked in cages with dimensions 2×2×1.5 m. At the end of the feeding trial, the fish were weighed to assess growth parameters in terms of % gain in weight, feed conversion ratio (FCR), and specific growth rate (SGR). The diet (DI) displayed significantly (p<0.05) higher % weight gain, and SGR than (DII) and (DIII). The FCR of diet (DI) was significantly (p<0.05) lower than diets (DII) and (DIII). Diet (DI) showed better growth when compared with other feeds. The study emphasized the need for species-specific diets for application at the farm level for an effective return on investment.

Keywords

Etroplus suratensis, diet, cages, Specific Growth Rate, Feed Coversion Ratio

Date : 16-04-2024