Effects of Different Natural Feed Types on Domestication, Survival Rate, and Growth of Glass Catfish (Kryptopterus palembangensis)

 ABSTRACT 

Intensive, uncontrolled fishing has primarily reduced glass catfish (Kryptopterus palembangensis) populations in Indonesian waters, especially in Sumatra, leading to a steady decline in natural populations through continuous overexploitation. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of different natural feeds on the growth performance and survival of glass catfish during the domestication phase (process of adapting wild fish to aquaculture conditions using appropriate natural feed types). A total of 150 glass catfish, with an average initial length of 14.62 ± 0.53 cm and an average initial weight of 15.58 ± 0.73 g, were subjected to the present study, using a completely randomized design with five treatment groups and three replications. Each experimental unit contained 10 fish, resulting in 30 fish per treatment. The treatment groups consisted of different natural feed types, namely small live fish (P1), shrimp (P2), earthworms (P3), maggots (P4), and Tubifex sp. (P5). Growth performance, survival rate, and digestive enzyme activity of glass catfish were observed after 30 days of rearing. The present results indicated that Group P2 significantly improved the growth performance of glass catfish, including absolute weight (3.61 ± 0.16 g), absolute length (2.85 ± 0.11 cm), specific growth rate (0.85 ± 0.03% day⁻¹), and daily growth rate (0.12 ± 0.01 g day⁻¹) compared to other groups. Additionally, Group P2 exhibited the highest survival rate at 100% and the highest digestive enzyme activities, with amylase at 7.24 ± 0.14 U mL⁻¹, lipase at 0.37 ± 0.01 U mL⁻¹, and protease at 0.69 ± 0.01 U mL⁻¹. The second-best performance was observed in Group P1, followed by P3, P5, and P4. Shrimp was identified as the most effective natural feed for improving the growth performance and survival rate of glass catfish.

full text:

https://wvj.science-line.com/attachments/article/91/WVJ16(2)449-458,2026.pdf

World’s Veterinary Journal, 2026, 16(2): 449-458.

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.54203/scil.2026.wvj42