Abstract
Red tilapia is a popular cultured species due to its attractive color and excellent growth and feed conversion rates. In this study, the effect of visual and physical interactions on the ventilation rate (VR), eye color pattern (ECP), and Gonadosomatic Index (GSI) of red tilapia was evaluated. There were four treatments in the study: T1 (No Interaction); T2 (Visual Interaction); T3 (Visual and Physical Interactions) and; T4 (Physical Interaction). Changes in VR and ECP were monitored for 15 days, while GSI was computed at the end of the study. The mean VR and ECP of the red tilapia exposed to visual and/or physical interactions were significantly higher compared to those in the control (P˂0.05). However, the fastest VR and darkest ECP were observed in T3. This conforms to the results of GSI wherein T3 had the lowest GSI which may be due to the higher level of stress experienced by fish in T3 compared to other treatments. On the other hand, T4 had the highest female GSI as opposite sex fish were exposed to physical interaction. Communication between sexual partners modulates reproductive behavior.
Highlights
Red tilapia (Oreochromis spp.) is one of the aquaculture’s most adaptive species
The ventilation rate and eye color pattern were monitored at 8:00am- 9:00am daily and Gonadosomatic Index (GSI) was computed after the 15 days observation period
Ventilation Rate (VR): Significantly higher mean VRs were observed in T2, T3, and T4 compared to those in
Summary
Red tilapia (Oreochromis spp.) is one of the aquaculture’s most adaptive species. It is abundantly found in the wild and known to be cultured in several parts of the world (Rahman et al, 2013). The effects of social interaction and visual communication in the GSI and behavioral responses (ventilation rate and eye color pattern) of red tilapia were determined. During the same period of the experiment, T3 had a significantly higher mean VRs compared to those in T2 and T4 indicating that fish in T3 were still experiencing stress, and the increasing VR values with time shows that the fish continued to respond to the stressor.
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