Effects of Artificial Diet and Vitamins on Growth and Survival of Snakehead (Channa striatus Fowler)

Abstract

The experiment was conducted to study survival rate and growth of snakehead fry fed on artificial diet (0211-85 SNF) of 42% protein compared to fish flesh (with and without vitamins premix) generally used in fish farms. Snakehead larva of about 10 days old were stocked in aerated tanks at the stocking rate of 285 fry per tank. The fry ground fish flesh (62.2% protein), ground fish flesh + vitamins premix, ground fish flesh + vitamins premix for 7 days followed by artificial diet (0211-85 SNF) and artificial diet (0211-85 SNF) alone for 45 days. It appeared that both artificial diet and fish flesh followed by artificial diet gave higher survival rates (54.73 and 60.69% respectively) after the first two weeks of feeding but the survival rate (37.54%) at the end of the experiment whereas fish flesh alone showed extremely low survival rate (3.51%). Growth of the fry fed 4 types of feed showed nonsignificant difference after 15 days of rearing but after 30 and 45 days the group of fry fed on fish flesh + vitamins premix yielded the best that neither the artificial feed (0211-85 SNF) nor fish flesh is suitable for snakehead fry as their first feed. Palatability and digestibility of the artificial diet should be improved in order to get better survival rate.