Assessment of the comparative growth performance of Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) at different stocking densities

An experiment was conducted to assess the comparative growth and production performance in relation to different stocking densities to have better understanding on the consecutive growth trends. Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fry was released at the rate of 8 fry per tank (1m3) as per the recommended stocking density of 320 fishes/decimal and 4 fry per tank equivalent to the stocking density of 160 fishes/decimal in intensive (T1) and semi-intensive (T2) aquaculture system, respectively. Floating feed was used to evaluate the growth performance during the experimental period for T1 and T2, respectively. There were six replications for each treatment. The feed was supplied at the rate of 20%, 15%, and 10% of the body weight during the study period of 90 days. The weight gains of fish were 132.23±1.29 and 63.12±4.97g for T1 and T2, respectively. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) in T1 and T2 were 2.53±0.18 and 2.13±0.20, respectively. Higher total production was obtained in T1 (1119.52 g) than T2 (830.96 g) with 100% survival in both the treatments. The present study indicates that, the production performance acquired higher in T1 having significant difference compared to T2 and the intensive culture of Tilapia is more rational for getting more production in relation to semi-intensive culture.