Authors
Leah Mae Sanchez, Romano Manlimos, Andrea Mae Ilao, and Jayvee Ablaña Saco
December 2020
Abstract
Leiopotherapon plumbeus, locally known as ayungin, is a small, edible fish with an average size of 15.9 cm that greatly contributes to the rich biological diversity of freshwater bodies in the Philippines. However, its population has continuously decreased due to various anthropogenic (overfishing and predation of invasive species) and environmental factors (land and water pollution). One way to conserve the decreasing population is through aquaculture. This study investigated the effect of temperature on the growth, mortality, and food intake of L. plumbeus under laboratory conditions for 21 days. Two hundred twenty-five L. plumbeus fingerlings were reared in triplicate aquariums with varying temperatures of 20°C, 25°C, 28°C (control), 30°C, and 35°C. The volume of feeds given to the fingerlings was based on the 5% of their body weight. There were no significant differences in percent growth by weight and length which signified that the temperatures were suitable for aquaculture of L. plumbeus. Greater food consumption was observed at higher temperatures. The tolerance of the fingerlings to these temperatures could be used as information on designing or improving aquaculture protocol and/or practices. Also, the fish could be a model species on studying effects of climate change to their physiology.
IRJIEST+2022_Sanchez.et.al_compressed