Observations on
the reproductive performance of three mouth-brooding tilapia species in
low-salinity underground water
M.T. Ridha-2004
Aquaculture
Research, 35(11):
1031-1038
Abstract:
The reproductive performance and seed
production of three mouth-brooding tilapia species, Oreochromis spilurus
(Günther), Oreochromis aureus (Steindachner) and Taiwanese red
tilapia hybrid, were compared in low-salinity underground water (3-5 g
L-1) to select species with the highest reproductive rate.
Two-year-old males and females having average body weights of 454 and 259 g,
respectively, were stocked in 2-m3 fibreglass breeding tanks (two
tanks per species) at 1:3 male to female sex ratio and at average density of
three fish m
-2.
Seeds (unhatched eggs; yolk-sac fry and the swim-up fry) were collected
weekly for 112 days. The results showed O. spilurus to have
significantly higher (P<0.05) mean spawning parameters expressed
as total seed tank-1 (84 154), seed kg female-1 day-1
(284), seed m-2 day-1 (190.3) and seed
female-1 day-1 (76.3), than O. aureus
and red tilapia. Monthly seed production in O. spilurus and
red tilapia gradually increased from May, peaked in July and declined in
August, while in O. aureus, it continued to decrease from May
to August. In this study, the observed production levels of seed in O.
spilurus were among the highest levels reported for tilapia;
therefore, O. spilurus could be selected as a potential
candidate for mass seed production in commercial tilapia hatcheries.
(Aquaculture, Fisheries and Marine
Environment Department, Kuwait Institute for Scienepsic Research, P O Box
1638, 22017 Salmiyah, Kuwait. E-mail: mridha@mfd.kisr.edu.kw)