Growth and survival of <i>Clarias gariepinus</i> reared in cages suspended in concrete tank and earthen pond, in Umudike, Nigeria

Abstract

Comparative studies were carried out to evaluate the growth and survival of Clarias gariepinus reared in cages suspended in tank and earthen pond of surface area 24 m² and 450 m² respectively. The cages were made with nylon net materials of 0.5 mm mesh size. Fingerlings were stocked at densities of 7 m^-3, 14 m^-3 and 28 m^-3 in both culture systems. Growth performance showed significantly higher trends (P < 0.05) in the pond than in the tank. There was however, no significant difference (P > 0.05) in survival between the two culture systems, with 97.97% and 93.88% for pond and tank cultures, respectively. Similarly, there was no significant difference in Food Convention Efficiency (FCE) and Protein Efficiency Ratio (PER) between the two systems, whereas a statistically significant variation (P < 0.05) was observed in Specific Growth Rate (SGR) with respect to stocking densities between the two systems. Fish stocked at 7 m^-3 grew better than those stocked at higher densities of 14 m^-3 and 28 m^-3. The results of this research have proved earthen pond cage culture system as a more cost effective and ultimately, more profitable system of fingerling production. Further investigation on the specific diet to be administered to achieve optimal growth performance in cage culture systems is desirable.