15 MARCH 1999
EFFECT OF SAND SUBSTRATE ON GROWTH AND SURVIVAL OF PENAEUS SEMISULCATUS DE HAAN JUVENILES
A.A. Al Ameeri, E.M. Cruz-1998
Journal of Aquaculture in the Tropics, 13(4): 239-244
Abstract:
This study was conducted to determine the effect of sand substrate on the growth, feed conversion ratio (FCR) and survival rate of Penaeus semisulcatus de Haan juveniles, reared in circular fiberglass tanks. Juveniles caught from the wild, with average weight of 6.0 g were stocked in 1-t fiberglass tanks at the rate of 20 shrimps per tank. Four tanks have sand substrate and four had no sand substrate. The juveniles were fed with commercial shrimp grower pellets (45% crude protein) at 3% of bwd^-d, six days a week. The study was conducted for 105 days. Shrimp growth rate with sand substrate was significantly faster (75.75%) than those reared without substrate. Similarly, FCR for shrimp reared with sand substrate was significantly better (37.61%) than those reared without sand. However, the addition of sand substrate did not affect the survival rate of the shrimp. Results of this study revealed the importance of incorporating sand substrate in culturing P. semisulcatus juveniles in fiberglass tanks.
(Mariculture and Fisheries Department, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, P.O. Box 1638, Samliya 22017, Kuwait)