Effects of several factors on growth of milkfish ( Chanos chanos Forskal) fingerlings reared with artificial diets in aquaria

Abstract

This paper presents the effects of feeding level, feeding frequency, salinity of water, kind and particle size of diets, and stocking density on the growth of milkfish ( Chanos chanos Forskal) fingerlings which were reared with artificial diets in laboratory tanks. Experimental groups were designed using orthogonal array L 8, and the results were evaluated statistically. Growth of the milkfish fingerlings varied markedly with the kind of diets used and feeding level. The feeding frequency and particle size of the diets also affected growth of the fingerlings significantly, but the salinity of the water did not. The weight gain of the fingerlings did not vary with the stocking densities significantly, whereas the increase (%) in body length was greater at a lower stocking density. The milkfish fingerlings showed the best growth in terms of both weight gain and increase in body length when reared on a purified diet containing 35% casein and 15% gelatin as protein sources under the following conditions: feeding level, 30–35% of body weight; feeding frequency, twice a day; particle size of diets, 125–250 μm diameter; and stocking density, 5 fish 5-liter tank. The means and confidence limits of the weight gain (%) and increase (%) in body length of milkfish fingerlings under the best conditions adopted were estimated to be 360 ± 63.7 and 62.1 ± 10.6, respectively.