EFFECTS OF FEED AND STOCKING DENSITY ON GROWTH AND SURVIVAL RATE DURING LARVAL REARING OF THE ORIENTAL RIVER PRAWN (Macrobrachium nipponense, de Haan 1849)

Abstract

The oriental river prawn (Macrobrachium nipponense de Haan 1849) is a freshwater crustacean species with high economic value and significant potential for development in aquaculture. To improve the efficiency of seed production techniques, this study conducted two experiments to determine the appropriate feed type and stocking density during the larval rearing stage. The first experiment evaluated the effects of three feeding regimes: Artemia nauplii, formulated larval feed, and a combination of both. The second experiment investigated the impact of four stocking densities: 50, 75, 100, 125 larvae per liter. Each treatment was replicated three times to ensure the reliability of the results. The results showed that both feed type and stocking density significantly affected larval survival and growth rate. Among the treatments, the combination of Artemia and formulated feed at densities of 50 - 75 larvae/L yielded the best results, with high survival rates and rapid growth, showing statistically significant differences (p< 0.05). However, in terms of overall productivity, the density of 75 larvae/L was more effective than 50 larvae/L. Based on the results, it is recommended to use the combined diet (Artemia + formulated feed) and a stocking density of 75 larvae/L as optimal conditions to enhance larval rearing efficiency in seed production of M. nipponense.