Effect of artificial food on the survival and growth tadpoles of Hoplobatrachus occipitalis (Günther 1858) in pond-raised

Abstract

The current study aimed at evaluating the effect of artificial food on the survival and growth tadpoles of Hoplobatrachus occipitalis in rectangular enclosures (2 m x 1 m x 0.5 m) placed in a pond until the onset of metamorphosis. Three different mediums: medium 1 (E1) = tadpoles fed with artificial food containing 27% protein, medium 2 (E2) = tadpoles fed with spirulina and medium 3 (E3) = no-fed tadpoles were tested in triplicate on tadpoles of initial weight 0.04 g. The tadpoles were fed daily at 10% of their biomass at a frequency of 3 times/day. After 28 days of rearing, the highest final weight, final length, specific growth rate and survival rate, respectively 2.16 ± 0.21 g, 62.59 ± 1.81 mm, 1328 ± 0.32% and 80.33% were recorded with tadpoles of medium 1 fed with the artificial food containing 27% protein. Growth and feed utilization parameters recorded in medium E1 tadpoles were significantly higher (p˂0.05) compared to other culture mediums. The results obtained show the possibility of rearing the tadpoles of Hoplobatrachus occipitalis with an artificial feed in a pond.