International Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Studies
2020, Vol. 8, Issue 2, Part B
Effects of varied hours of aeration on the spawning success of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus)
Author(s): Ojeikere BA and VA Okonji
Abstract: Dissolved oxygen variation in fish ponds is a common problem. This is more critical at the early stage of the fish life when rate of metabolism is usually high and as such optimum water quality condition such as availability of sufficient dissolved oxygen is most required. An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of varied hours of aeration through water shower, on the spawning success of African catfish for the period of 10 weeks. The aeration treatments were T1 (0 hour of shower), T2 (4 hours of shower), T3 (6 hours of shower), T4 (8 hours of shower) and T5 (12 hours of shower). The experiment was laid out in a complete randomized design. Each treatment was replicated three times. Test for significant difference was carried out using Duncan Multiple range test. All test was carried out at 5% probability level. The effects of the five treatment were evaluated on hatchability, growth and survival rate. Data collected included egg hatching rate (%), bi-weekly weight gain and specific growth rates of hatchlings. There was significant difference (P<0.05) among treatments in terms of the egg hatching rate (30.12%, 54.76%, 60.44%,70.81% and 83.24% for T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5 respectively). The bi-weekly weight gain increased significantly from T1 to T5 (5.61
, 7.67, 9.29,
12.93
, and 17.03g respectively). Survival of hatchlings also increased significantly from T1 to T5(76.87, 76.60,
81.20,
84.80,
and 88.80 respectively). The increase in hatching rate and growth performance was attributed to increased dissolved oxygen availability with increasing hours of aeration through shower. Increased dissolved oxygen content affected the fry appetite, feed consumption and utilization positively. These findings indicated that spawning success of African catfish can be greatly enhanced by 12 hours of water aeration through water shower. This could be used by hatchery operators in developing countries with limited resources for flow through system or water re-circulatory system.
Pages: 126-131 | 921 Views 363 DownloadsDownload Full Article: Click Here
How to cite this article:
Ojeikere BA, VA Okonji. Effects of varied hours of aeration on the spawning success of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus). Int J Fish Aquat Stud 2020;8(2):126-131.
