Cannibalism and survivorship of early juvenile African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) in relation to stocking density and 17β-estradiol treatment

ABSTRACT

There were two stocking densities (i.e. 9,000 and 12,000 larvae m⁻²), two doses of 17β-estradiol and control without any hormonal treatment i.e. 0, 2.5, and 5 mg L⁻¹. Hormone were given by immersing larvae in water for six hours to reduce cannibalism in African catfish larvae. Fishes were reared for 14 days intensively. The highest fish survival was at a stocking density of 12,000 larvae m⁻² with 2.5 mg L⁻¹ 17β-estradiol. Cannibalism decreased at higher densities compared to the control. The level of 17β-estradiol in treated fish tended to be higher than that of the control group but the coefficient of variance decreased. At the end of rearing, the use of 17β-estradiol at higher densities improved the specific growth rate and relative body length.

KEYWORDS:

• Cannibalism
• Clarias gariepinus
• rearing practice
• stocking density
• 17β-estradiol treatment

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the School of Vocational Studies, Bogor Agricultural University.

Authors’ contributions

Cecilia Eny Indriastuti, Muhammad Zairin Junior, Muhammad Agus Suprayudi, Eddy Supriyono and Alimuddin Alimuddin, and compiled and designed the experiment. All authors contributed to the interpretation of the results and made a significant contribution to the preparation of the manuscript. All authors have read, revised, and approved the final version of the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the School of Vocational, Bogor Agricultural University [IDR 100,000,000].