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¹ Ocean Critters Ranch Inc., 2924 FM 1187, Crowley, Texas-76036, USA
² Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute, Freshwater Station, Mymensingh-2201, Bangladesh DOI : 10.4194/trjfas.2009.0207 Viewed : 4473 - Downloaded : 4602 Growth, survival and production performances of Cirrhinus ariza fingerlings were evaluated for 8 weeks in nine earthen nursery ponds having an area of 0.012 ha each with an average depth of 1.0 m. Three stocking densities of hatchlings each with two replications were tested in treatments. Four-day-old hatchling stocked at 0.8 million ha^-1 was defined as treatment-1 (T1), 1.0 million ha-1 as treatment-2 (T₂) and 1.2 million ha-1 as treatment-3 (T₃), respectively. Hatchlings in all the experimental ponds were supplemented with wheat flour for the first 7 days, finely ground mustard oilcake for the next 7 days and a mixture of rice bran and mustard oilcake (1:1) for days 15 to 56. Feeding was done at the rate of 15 kg/million hatchling day-1 for the first two weeks, 20 kg for the second two weeks, 25 kg for the third two weeks and 30 kg for the fourth two weeks. The physico-chemical and biological parameters of pond water were within the suitable range for fish culture. Growth in terms of final weight, final length, weight gain, length gain and specific growth rate, and survival of fingerlings was significantly higher in T₁ where stocking density were 0.8 million hatchling ha^-1 than those obtained from T2 (1.0 million ha^-1) and T₃ (1.2 million ha-1), respectively. Feed conversion rate was the lowest in T1 followed by T2 and the highest in T3 (P<0.05). Gross and net productions of fingerling were higher in T₁ than T₂ and T₃, respectively (P<0.05). Higher number of fingerlings was produced in T3 than those in T2 and T1 (P<0.05). Even then, consistently higher net benefits were obtained from T₁ than those from T₃ and T₂. Among the treatments evaluated, 0.8 million hatchling ha^-1 (T₁) was the best stocking density considering the highest growth, survival, production and net benefits of the fingerlings of C. ariza in nursery ponds. Keywords : Cirrhinus ariza, hatchling, stocking density, fingerling, growth, production, benefits