An investigation into the food and feeding ecology of a potential aquaculture candidate, Sarotherodon galilaeus multifasciatus in a meteoritic crater lake in Ghana

Abstract

An investigation into the food and feeding ecology of the cichlid, Sarotherodon galilaeus multifasciatus in a tropical meteoritic lake in Ghana was undertaken. Stomachs of the fishes, at two length classes, representing adults and juveniles, were examined and the food items identified. The juveniles of Sarotherodon galilaeus multifasciatus feed mainly on insect and insect larvae and relatively small quantities of diatoms but avoiding macrophytes. A striking feature in the composition of juvenile diet was the considerable quantities of ingested sand, which constituted about 16% of stomach contents. Ingested sand may be helpful in maceration of food in the pyloric stomach. A sandy substratum may, therefore, appear ecologically important for juveniles of the species. Adult stomachs contained mainly phytoplankton, chironomid and insect larvae with no ingested sand. No significant differences were found in the stomach contents of the fishes for the dry and wet seasons due, partly, to the lack of any considerable seasonal differences in allochthonous inputs into the lake waters. The fishes exploit a wide range of food resources in the open, sub-littoral and littoral zones of the lake. Further studies to include growth and recruitment are recommended to enhance future production of the species under culture conditions. @ JASEM

Feeding Ecology and Reproductive Biology of some Economically Important Fish Species in the Tono Reservoir, Ghana

“…The diet preference of the fish species except S. galilaeus did not vary significantly with seasons attributable to the lack of any considerable seasonal food inputs into the reservoir. The results for S. galilaeus contradicted that of [31] who observed no seasonal variation of diet in Lake Bosumtwi, Ghana. S. galilaeus was noted to spawn continuously in the wet season beginning from May to September and this could have accounted for the seasonal variation of food consumed.…”

Feeding Ecology and Establishment of the Naturally-Colonized Freshwater Cichlid, <i> Sarotherodon galilaeus </i> (Pisces: Actinopterigii: Perciformes) from a Man-Made Lake, South-Benin, West Africa

“…The relatively high proportion of sand particles in the diet suggests that, probably, S. galilaeus ingested sand as normal diet components. Also, sand grains may help in the maceration of food materials in the pyloric stomach as observed in feeding ecology studies of mullets [8].…”

Improving Aquatic Biodiversity Estimates in Africa: Rotifers of Angola and Ghana

“…The water column is stable with persistent stratification throughout the year and permanently anoxic deep water underlying a mixed layer of variable depth and oxygen content [93]. In this lake, the phytoplankton community is dominated by cyanobacteria [96] and desmids [97], while the zooplankton community consists of an endemic copepod Mesocyclops bosumtwii Mirabdullayev, Sanful, Frempong, 2007 [98], a dense larval Chaoborus assemblage, a small-sized cladoceran, Moina micrura Kurz, 1875, and six rotifer species with Brachionus calyciflorus Pallas 1766 and Hexarthra intermedia (Wiszniewski, 1929) being most abundant. Four other rotifer species were reported as uncommon by Sanful [14] and Sanful et al [15][16][17][18].…”