The effect of stocking density, monosex culture and tubifex-feeding (tubifex tubifex) on the culture of Guppy (Poecilia reticulata) in a recirculation system

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of stock density, monosex culture and tubifex-feeding on growth and feed performance of guppy (Poecilia reticulata) in recirculation system. Three separate trials were conducted in 200 L cylindrical fiberglass tanks, at 1.5/hour water turnover rate and 26 °C water temperature. In the 1st trial, the juveniles (0.21 g and 2.71 cm initial size) reached 4.56-4.99 cm length and 1.28-1.83 g weight at the end the 100-day culture period in four tested stocking densities (1, 2, 3 and 4 fish/L) and the two of the highest densities (3 and 4 fish/L) were found to be the most suitable density under the present trial conditions. In the 2nd trial, the juveniles (0.20 g and 2.68 cm initial size) grew to 4.25-4.47 cm length and 0.96-1.26 g weight in four different tubifex-feeding frequencies (0, 1, 2 and 3 days/week) during the 80-day rearing period. This study proved that tubifex-feeding enhanced growth performance and that 2 or 3 days/week feeding optimal for the guppy. In the 3rd trial, juveniles (0.27 g and 3.20 cm) were found to grow better in monosex culture (1.09 g, 4.47 cm) than the mix culture (1.01 g, 4.32 cm) during the 80-day culture period. Both sexes displayed higher growth in monosex culture. But, growth performance of the females was twice that of the males. In all of the three trials, the guppy juveniles reached to marketable size in as short as 80-100 days with very high survival rates (97-99%) even under the high density (of 3 fish/L). The current results have demonstrated a very promising prospect for the commercial culture of guppy in recirculation systems.