Effect of foods on growth and survival rate of Blue swimming crab (Portunus pelagicus Linnaeus, 1758) in the vertical stacked boxesEffect of foods on growth and survival rate of Blue swimming crab (Portunus pelagicus Linnaeus, 1758) raised in the vertical stacked boxes

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the effect of feed on growth performance, and survival rate of blue swimming crab (Portunus pelagicus) raised in the vertical stacked boxes. The experiment included 3 treatments (fed with minced fish, sinking pellet feed, and mixture of minced fish and sinking pellet feed), with 4 replications. Sixteen juvenile crabs per square meter were raised in the vertical stacked boxes for 60 days. The initial average weights, carapace widths, and crabs body lengths of each treatment were 0.47±0.12, 0.47±0.13 and 0.49±0.14 grams, 1.61±0.28, 1.62±0.30 and 1.63±0.20 centimeter and 0.92±0.10, 0.89±0.11 and 0.92±0.12 centimeter, respectively. After 60 days of culturing, the average weights for fed with minced fish, sinking pellet feed, and mixture of minced fish and sinking pellet feed were 2.67±0.06, 1.98±0.10 and 2.28±0.05 grams, respectively. The average carapace widths and average body length were 2.86±0.11, 2.62±0.04 and 2.77±0.07 centimeter, and 1.61±0.04, 1.55±0.05 and 1.57±0.02 centimeter, respectively. The specific growth rates were 2.95±0.10, 2.34±0.13 and 2.69 ±0.12 percent per day. The average values for daily growth were 0.035±0.00, 0.025±0.00 and 0.030±0.00 grams per day, respectively. The average values for weight gain were 490.81±0.56, 310.84±0.41 and 405.65±0.64 percent, respectively. The survival rate were 87.50±0.38, 91.67±0.40 and 89.58±0.08 percent, respectively. The feed conversion ratio were 2.05±0.09, 2.65±0.12 and 2.38±0.17 respectively. Blue swimming crabs fed by minced fish had the highest growth and it was significantly higher than those fed sinking pallet feed. The crabs fed with mixture of minced fish and sinking pellet feed were not significantly different from those fed other types of feed. blue swimming fed with sinking pallets had the highest survival rate. The results can be transferred to crab farmers for the further development of commercial farming.