Responses of Grass Carp, Stocked Intensively in Earthen Ponds, to Various Supplemental Feeding Regimes

Abstract

Abstract Fingerling grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), averaging 4.8 g (SD, 0.21), were stocked in 16 earthen ponds (0.04 hectare) at a rate of 11,875 fish/hectare and were fed a commercial crumbled trout feed for 41 d, followed by a floating catfish starter feed for 23 d. Subsequently, the fish were assigned to four feeding regimes (each treatment replicated in four ponds) and fed for 108 d. The treatments were (1) a commercial-type catfish floating feed fed twice daily; (2) a grass carp floating feed fed twice daily; (3) the grass carp floating feed fed once daily; and (4) the grass carp feed in a sinking pellet fed twice daily. The grass carp feed contained 15% dehydrated alfalfa meal (Medicago sativa). The catfish and grass carp feeds were designed to be similar in crude protein (35%) and estimated digestible energy (3.1 kcal!kg). During the 64-d conditioning period, when all fish were treated similarly, mean fish weight increased rapidly, from 4.8 to 68.4 g (SD, 4.2). During the 108-d experimental...