Growth Performance of Life (Trichomycterus punctulatus) Raised in an Intensive Recirculating Aquaculture System

This research was conducted to assess the effect of stocking density on the growth performance of Life (Trichomycterus punctulatus) reared in an intensive recirculating system. For this purpose, an increasing stimulus experimental design was carried out with a control and three treatment groups: 3.68 fish/L (control), 4 fish/L (treatment 1), 4.5 fish/L (treatment 2) and 5 fish/L (treatment 3). Experimental fish were raised in recirculating aquaculture tanks for six months and fed a commercial pellet feed of 50% protein, the first and second month, and 45 % protein the four remaining months of the experiment. Fish biometry was performed monthly, taking a sample of 15 fish from each tank. The physico-chemical parameters of the rearing water were recorded fortnightly. The results revealed that fish growth was significantly (p < 0.05) affected by stocking density, positively. The highest growth performance in terms of final body weight and length was observed at a stocking density of 5 fish/L (treatment 3): 11.81 cm and 18.6 g. The highest total production (2.75 kg), net production (91.76 kg/m3), and the best feed conversion ratio (FCR): 1.49, were also noted in treatment 3. The used recirculating system provided good water quality as the physico-chemical parameters were found to be suitable for fish growth throughout the study. Key words: aquaculture, intensive recirculating system, trychomycterus punctulatus, stocking density