Feeding behaviour of snake head fish, Channa striatus larvae

Feeding scheme experiments were done in a 15-liter glass aquarium (water volume 10 liters) containing 500 of two-day old larvae (stage at first feeding). It was found that larval snake head fish aged 3-11 days (average total length 6.08-10.86 mm) consumed Moina. Larvae aged 12-15 days (average total length 10.79-14.61 mm) consumed both Moina and commercial pellet (40 % crude protein). Larvae aged more than 16 days consumed only commercial pellet. Determining the daily food uptake by the larvae and juveniles was done in a 15-liter glass aquarium (water volume 10 liters) containing 1,000 larvae. The larvae consumed Moina ,provide of a density of Moina 10 individual/ml. The amount of food intake was calculated based on changes of food density in the aquarium with and without fish larvae at 2-hour intervals. It was found that larvae aged 3-15 days consumed Moina. The average uptake of Moina in digestive tract per day of larvae age 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15 days old was 28.7, 115.70, 162.27, 195.30 and 227.30 individual/larva, respectively at water temperatures ranging between 25 and 28°C. A starvation experiment was carried out using a 15-liter glass aquarium (water volume 10 liters) with three replications. Two hundred newly hatched larvae were kept without feeding. Larvae started to die at 216 hr and totally died within 326 hr after hatching at water temperature ranging between 28.0 and 30.5°C.

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