Performance of black apple snail (Pila polita Deshayes, 1830) juveniles reared using different lettuce and pellet feed ratios in small devices

Truong Khac Hieu; Vo Thi Thuy Van; Chau Thi Da; Doan Xuan Diep

doi:10.22034/ijab.v14i2.2777

Authors

Truong Khac Hieu Department of Agriculture and Food Technology, Tien Giang University, Dong Thap Province, Vietnam.
Vo Thi Thuy Van Department of Economics and Law, Tien Giang University, Dong Thap Province, Vietnam.
Chau Thi Da Group of Applied Research in Advanced Materials for Sustainable Development, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Doan Xuan Diep
dxdiep@yahoo.com
Faculty of Applied Science and Technology, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Vol. 14 No. 2 (2026): April

Articles

May 14, 2026

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The black apple snail (Pila polita Deshayes, 1830) is a crucial food source rich in protein and essential nutrients in many Asian countries. This omnivorous species exhibits a preference for plant-based feeds. Incorporating vegetables into its artificial diets may thus enhance the species’ nutritional profile balance and reduce the farming environmental impact. This study aimed to assess the performance of P. polita juveniles raised under five different combinative ratios of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and pellet feeds. The combinations were labeled Diet 1 (100% lettuce), Diet 2 (100% pellet feed containing 20% protein), Diet 3 (100% pellet feed containing 30% protein), Diet 4 (35% pellet feed containing 20% protein and 65% lettuce), and Diet 5 (35% pellet feed containing 30% protein and 65% lettuce). The study was conducted in 0.185 m³ styrofoam containers and followed a completely randomized design with three replicates. Pila polita juveniles (mean weight of 0.22 g and shell height of 6.40 mm) were raised at a density of 216 individuals per cubic meter (ind m?³) using the tested diets over 60 days. While diets had no significant effect on survival rate, diet 5 yielded the best rearing performance, as evidenced by significantly higher values for all growth parameters (weight and shell height), productivity, and feed conversion ratio compared to the other diets (P?0.05). Additionally, Diet 5 exhibited the lowest coefficient of variation in weight, which was significantly lower than those of Diets 1 and 2 (P?0.05). The findings showed that Diet 5 was the most effective under the conditions of this study.

Hieu, T. K., Van, V. T. T., Da, C. T., & Diep, D. X. (2026). Performance of black apple snail (Pila polita Deshayes, 1830) juveniles reared using different lettuce and pellet feed ratios in small devices. International Journal of Aquatic Biology, 14(2), 122–130. https://doi.org/10.22034/ijab.v14i2.2777

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