Abstract
The effect of stocking density on growth and survival of post fry of the African mud catfish, Clarias gariepinus, was investigated. C. gariepinus post fry were stocked at the rate of 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 post fry/litre of water. The post fry were fed to satiation four times daily with crumbles of a commercial catfish feed. The survival, mean total length, mean body weight, condition factor, specific growth rate and performance index were found to be density dependent. Survival rate ranged from 29.7 ± 7.4 to 56.6 ± 33.3%, while specific growth rate was between 0.00143 ± 0.0014 to 0.00702 ± 0.0044. Optimum growth and survival rates were recorded at stocking densities of 5, 10, 15 post fry/litre of water. However, the determined optimum stocking density for rearing of C. gariepinus post fry in tanks is 15 post fry/litre of water. It is concluded that increased density impacts on growth and survival of the fish, a consequence of increased activity (frequent surfacing, feeding and swimming) and aggressiveness.
Highlights
The production of fast-growing fry is vital to the development of a viable aquaculture venture for enhanced protein security [1]
The results of Specific Growth Rate (SGR) and performance index PI show higher stocking densities resulted in lower SGR and PI; the best values were obtained in T1, T2 and T3 (Table 2 and Figure 1)
Low levels of dissolved oxygen have been attributed to decreasing growth in channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) larvae reared in tanks [19] (Brazil and Wolters)
Summary
The production of fast-growing fry is vital to the development of a viable aquaculture venture for enhanced protein security [1]. In Nigeria, aquaculture production has increased tremendously due to increasing demand for fish protein. The Federal Department of Fisheries [2] estimated that over 1.6 million tonnes of both fin and shell fish were required to meet the animal protein need of the country’s population in 2004. It was noted [3] that about 50% of the fish supply in Nigeria comes from importation. Nigeria is the highest importer of fish in Africa This means that a huge sum of money is expended on fish importation annually. It is estimated that about 100 billion is spent on fish importation annually in Nigeria [5]
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