Abstract Full Text:PDF Recommended articles Mail to Author How to Cite

¹ Mustafa Kemal University, Faculty of Fisheries, TR-31200 Iskenderun-Hatay, Turkey DOI : 10.4194/trjfas.2011.0213 Viewed : 4344 - Downloaded : 4503 Newly hatched third instars of Astacus leptodactylus (mean weight 44.5±3.4 mg and mean total length 10.8±0.4 mm) were randomly stocked in 0.2 m2 aquariums at rate of 100 crayfish/m2 fed with trout feed at a quantity 5% of crayfish body weight for 90 day. The amount of diet was adjusted according to the total crayfish biomass calculated for each sampling period (30-days interval). Four feeding intervals were tested: everyday (D), every 2^nd (D2), every 3^rd (D3), and every 4^th day (D4). At the end of feeding period, the feeding interval had significant impact on crayfish survival, growth rate, and yield. The survival of crayfish was the highest in D2 treatment (83.3%) and was lowest in D4 treatment (57.2%). Results indicated that feeding interval in D2 treatment significantly increased survival of crayfish. Growth rates were significantly different (P<0.05) between D2 treatment (0.8 mm/day) and D4 treatment (0.5 mm/day) at the end of the 90-day experiment. The best growth rate was observed in D2 treatment group. The yield was found to decrease with increasing length of feeding interval. The highest yield (27.65 g) was observed in D2 treatment, while the lowest yield (12.6 g) was in D4 treatment. The feeding interval had no significant difference on body composition of A. leptodactylus juvenile among the treatment groups (P>0.05). The study showed that the optimal feeding interval was observed every 2^nd day. Keywords : Astacus leptodactylus, feeding interval, growth, survival, body composition