Effect of stocking density on growth performance and survival rate of duskytail grouper (Epinephelus bleekeri) from fingerling to juvenile

Abstract

 This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of stocking density on growth and survival of duskytail grouper (Epinephelus bleekeri) juvenile. Initial mean total length and individual weight of fingerlings were 1.48 ± 0.18 cm and 0.05 ± 0.01 g, respectively. Three treatments were designed with different stocking densities, including 1,000; 1,500 and 2,000 fish.m^-3. Fish were fed by commercial diets (NRD, INVE, and Thailand) three times daily during 45 days. Each stocking density was run with three replicates. As a result, the highest growth rate was obtained at density 1,000 fish.m^-3 with an average final body length and weight were 5.03 cm/fish and 2.84 g/fish, respectively. The lowest coefficient of variation was attained at 1,000 fish.m^-3. However, no significant difference was observed on survival rate and feed conversion ratio of fish at different stocking densities. Thus, the optimum performance was obtained when duskytail grouper juvenile was stocked at 1,000 fish.m^-3 to growth and survival rate.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.53818/jfst.02.2022.76