GROWTH AND PRODUCTION OF HATCHERY-REARED JUVENILE SPOTTED BABYLON BABYLONIA AREOLATA LINK 1807 CULTURED TO MARKETABLE SIZE IN INTENSIVE FLOW-THROUGH AND SEMI-CLOSED RECIRCULATING WATER SYSTEMS
N. Chaitanawisuti, A. Kritsanapuntu-2000
Aquaculture Research, 31 (5): 415-419
Abstract:
Hatchery-reared juvenile spotted babylon Babylonia areolata (mean initial shell length 12.8 mm) were cultured intensively to marketable size in three 3.0 x 2.5 x 0.7 indoor canvas rectangular tanks. The duplicate treatments of flow-through and semi-closed recirculating seawater systems were compared at an initial stocking density of 300 individuals m-2 (2250 juveniles per tank). The animals were fed ad libitum with fresh carangid fish Selaroides leptolepis once daily. During 240 culture days, average growth rates in shell length and body weight were 3.86 mm/month and 1.47 g/month for the flow-through system and 3.21 mm/month and 1.10 g/month for those in the semi-closed recirculating system. Survival in the flow-through system (95.77%) was significantly higher than that in the semi-closed recirculating system (79.28%).
Feed conversion ratios were 1.68 and 1.96 for flow-through and semi-closed recirculating systems respectively.
(Fisheries Resources Research Unit, Aquatic Resources Research Institute, Chulalongkorn University, Phya Thai Road, Bangkok, Thailand 10330)