Effects of water depths on growth and survival of black apple snail (Pila polita) in rearing condition

Abstract

The black apple snail (Pila polita) is a species with delicious meat and rich nutrition, so it is a promising target for aquaculture. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of water depths on the growth and survival rate of this species. The snails were experimentally reared at 4 different water depths of 15 cm, 20 cm, 25 cm and 30 cm with stocking density of 300 individuals per tank 50 cm x 40 cm and repeated 3 times. The snails were fed duckweed in the first 15 days and fresh calabash in the next 15 days. The experimental results showed that after 30 days of rearing, the snails reared at 30 cm had the highest height and weight ​(12.87 mm and 0.495 g, respectively) while the width of snails reached the highest values ​​at depths of 25 cm and 30 cm (9.62 mm and 9.59 mm, respectively). The survival rate of snails ranged from 97.17 - 97.83%, in which snails reared at 15 cm had a lower survival rate than the other 3 treatments. Thus, in general, it can be seen that the water depth of 30 cm is the most suitable for rearing snails.