Effects of salinity on rearing performance of bighead catfish (Clarias macrocephalus Günther, 1864) juveniles
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Expanding the production of bighead catfish (Clarias macrocephalus Günther, 1864), a key freshwater species in Vietnamese aquaculture, into brackish water environments is essential in light of increasing saline intrusion into freshwater ecosystems driven by global climate change. A completely randomized design with three replicates was conducted in 0.5 m³ composite tanks to evaluate the effects of salinities (0, 2, 4, 6, and 8‰) on the rearing performance of juvenile C. macrocephalus. The juveniles (11.21 g and 11.49 cm) were stocked at a density of 45 individuals per tank (ind tank?¹) and fed Aquagreen commercial pellets containing 30% crude protein. After 180 days of culture, the highest growth performance was observed at 2‰ salinity and declined significantly at salinities ? 4‰ (P?0.05), likely contributing to significantly reduced productivity at 8‰ (P?0.05). Survival rates remained stable between 2 and 8‰ (P?0.05) and were significantly higher than those at 0‰ (P?0.05). Although growth performance at 0‰ was only slightly lower than that at 2‰ (P?0.05), the significantly lower survival rate at this salinity likely contributed to the significant decrease in productivity (P?0.05). The coefficient of variation in weight (CVW) was significantly higher at salinities of 2-4‰ compared to other treatments (P? 0.05), but it ranged from 3.33 to 6.64% in tested salinities (0-8‰), which fell within the ideal range for fish culture. Based on the findings, 2‰ salinity is recommended as optimal for juvenile C. macrocephalus culture.
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