FEED ACCEPTABILITY, SURVIVAL AND GROWTH PERFORMANCE OF BLUE SWIMMING CRAB (PORTUNUS PELAGICUS. L) FED WITH DIFFERENT CHEAPER DIETS

Fahmida Wazed Tina

PhD student

School of Science, Walailak University,

Thailand.

Email: tinafw_baufm@yahoo.com

Contact no: +66907381472

Dr. Udomsak Darumas

Lecturer

School of Science, Walailak University,

Thailand.

Email: dudomsak@yahoo.com

Contact no: +66869689991

Abstract: 

The aim of this research was to study the feed acceptability, survival and growth performance of blue swimming crab (Portunus pelagicus, Linnaeus 1758) fed with different diets: fish, jellyfish, worm and worm compost. Another goal was to examine the possibility of using different cheaper diets- worm, compost and jellyfish as supplementary or additional diets for culturing of blue swimming crabs. Crabs, with an initial average body weight of 59g, after being fed with fish (mackerel) for 3 weeks had the highest body weight gain (16.02%), feeding rate (69.79%), specific growth rate (1.23%/day), carapace length growth rate (11.28%) and carapace width growth rate (14.56%); crabs fed with worm (Eisenia fetida) had moderate body weight gain (10.05%), feeding rate (55.65%), specific growth rate (0.78%/day), carapace length growth rate (9.09%) and carapace width growth rate (8.07%). On the other hand side, crabs fed with jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) and worm compost diets showed lower but more or less same body weight gain (3.78% and 2.8% respectively), feeding rate (36.8 and 35.41% respectively), specific growth rate (0.3 and 0.22%/day respectively), carapace length growth rate (6.87 and 4.55% respectively) and carapace width growth rate (3.99 and 4.5% respectively). Crabs fed with worm had the highest survival rate (87%) than crabs fed with other diets. Nevertheless, no significant differences in survival and carapace length growth rate of crabs from different diet treatments were found. All crabs from different treatments those were provided different cheaper diets accepted all the diets and showed positive growth performance.

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