Differences Between Breeding and Weaning Khmer Channa Striata and Vietnamese Channa Striata at Freshwater Aquaculture Research and Development Center, Cambodia

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the eating practices of Channa striata species, examine breeding, hatching, yield, and post-mortem survival rates, and measure the growth and feeding of Channa striata. The investigation was divided into two main stages. In the first stage, only male fish were injected with the hormone HCG during incubation. In the second stage, both male and female fish received the hormone concurrently. One PG was added to the initial injection at a dose of 500 IU/kg. The second dose was administered at a rate of 300 IU/kg, while the female fish received a dosage of 1000 IU/kg. After three days of consuming their food reserves, the young fish (powder or hatchlings) are fed. Moina is fed to them four times a day for ten days during this phase. When the fingerlings are 45 to 60 days old, the third step in the weaning process involves feeding them a mixture of Moina and trash fish four times a day. This continues until the fish are old enough to consume their own food, at which point they can begin to be raised for meat. The entire Completely Randomized Design (CRD) procedure was used to design the experiment, with one restriction: only the Khmer and Vietnamese Channa Striata species were included. The average fertilization rate for Khmer Channa Striata fish was 67.50%, with an average hatching rate of 62.86%. In comparison, the Vietnamese Channa Striata fish had an average fertilization rate of 47.25% and an average hatching rate of 87.13%. Vietnamese Channa Striata fish also had a higher average survival rate (88.50%) compared to Khmer Channa Striata fish (92.29%). After harvest, Vietnamese Channa Striata fish had an average weight of 334.0 g/head and an average length of 27.63 cm, exceeding the Cambodian carp's average weight of 214.9 g/head and average length of only 23.42 cm. For Khmer Channa Striata fish, the average monthly death rate decreased from 2.06% to 0.022%. Vietnamese Channa Striata fish saw a similar decrease, with their average monthly death rate going from 2.46% to 0.022%. While Vietnamese Channa Striata fish consumed an average of 333 g/head to 1269 g/head of feed, Khmer Channa Striata fish received between 298 g/head and 1013 g/head of feed. This study discovered that while there remain some issues with the growth chain and feeding habits, the benefits of Khmer Channa Striata fish, such as their higher fertility rate and survival rate after three days of reserve, were greater than those of Vietnamese Channa Striata fish. Researchers should focus on ongoing studies to address the issues raised by these findings, particularly in research facilities that are still seeking collaborators to support deeper research into fish species and identify superior-quality fish for cultivation by farmers.