To evaluate growth performance of Milkfish, Chanos chanos (Fingerling) applied range of food treatmentsin captivity

Abstract

In the present study, wild caught early fingerlings Milkfish (Chanos chanosForsskål, 1755) (length & weight between of 3.8-6.4cm / 3-8g) average weight 5.35g were reared with different types of treatments for three months(15 th November-15 th February) and their performances in terms of growth and survival were determined. It is observed that upon the harvest the fish reached a weight between24-31g and a survival rate of 80.1±1%,the specific growth rate was higher (82.8%) in fishes gathered in the combination of soil & chicken manure (SC), followed by a combination of Urea & chicken manure (UC), and commercial pellets(CP) Control feeds. Survival rate was also higher in SC fishes, followed by UC and CP (control)feed. The size-frequency distribution shows that milkfish in the tank SC grew compared with tank CP specimens, their growth rate was lower. Tanks containing SC treatment had better specific growth rate than CP (control) treatment (p<0.05), although there was no significant differences between SC treatment and UC treatment in growth factors. Also, the number of surviving fish in UC treatment was simply higher than SC treatment and CP (control) (p<0.05).