Growth and Survival of Hatchery-Reared White Teatfish Holothuria fuscogilva Cherbonnier, 1980 Juveniles in Different Feed Types Under Laboratory Conditions

Abstract

The hatchery production and mariculture of the sea cucumber species Holothuria fuscogilva Cherbonnier, 1980, commonly known as white teatfish, represent a potential remedy for the decreasing population of this extensively exploited species, owing to its considerable nutritional and medicinal value. The Sea Cucumber Research and Development Center at Mindanao State University in Naawan is actively formulating a comprehensive protocol for the large-scale production of H. fuscogilva through hatchery methods. Within hatchery rearing for mass production, selecting an optimal feed type influences the growth and survival rates of H. fuscogilva juveniles. To address this, an experiment employing a complete block randomized design was executed, utilizing four distinct feed types—Navicula sp., tilapia waste + commercial probiotics (CP), Spirulina powder, and commercial feed (mixed feed for Penaeus monodon #1)—each replicated three times. This 90-day laboratory experiment involved 960 individuals of 90-day-old hatchery- reared H. fuscogilva juveniles with an initial weight of 0.11±0.004g. The results revealed that Navicula sp. and Spirulina powder significantly contributed to higher average body weight, average weight gain, growth rate, and specific growth rates compared to commercial feed and tilapia waste + CP. Notably, Navicula sp. demonstrated the highest % survival rate (87.92±3.88%) over the 90 days, surpassing the rates observed for tilapia waste + CP (63.75±7.11%), Spirulina powder (26.67±6.40%), and commercial feed (20.00±4.30%). These findings suggest that the Navicula sp. was the ideal feed for H. fuscogilva juveniles at this stage supporting better survival and growth.