Evaluation of Integrated Periphyton System (IPS) aquaculture of Mixed-sex Giant Freshwater Prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) David Marioni1*, Nor Azman Kasan1, Mhd Ikhwanuddin1,*
1 Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE), Institute of Tropical Aquaculture and Fisheries, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21300 Kuala Nerus, Malaysia
Abstract
An Aquamat-like media in an Integrated Periphyton System (IPS) was applied to mixed-sex Giant Freshwater Prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) culture with outputs compared to Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) culture, stocked in triplicate at initial density of 1,000 m-2, and where carbon source was used to support heterotrophic biomass. In nursery (up to 32 days) the body weight and survival rate were similar. Growth performance was also similar when a 60 % subset of the produced nursery prawns of approximately less than 1 g body weight were stocked to a second post-nursery stage utilizing the two systems, identically configured to the prior stage. A second 40 % subset of the nursery prawns of approximately greater than 1 g body weight was stocked to a semi-commercial IPS tank. The two post-nursery runs (from 33 to 90 days) were harvested with gender identification, and performance was compared across gender groupings and male morphotypes at harvest. Evaluation of the statistical events supported observations regarding differential in performance from nursery to post-nursery for M. rosenbergii. The technique of size separation of nursery stock ahead of grow out was evaluated. Evidence from prior experimentation is presented in discussion of water quality analysis, the application of inferential statistics to the program, and the validity of outputs.
Keywords: Evaluation of Integrated Periphyton System (IPS) aquaculture of mixed-sex Giant Freshwater Prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii (De Man, 1879)
