Efficacy of Formulated Feed Preference and Stocking Density on Growth and Survival of Baby Pila globosa Reared in Laboratory Condition

Abstract

Quality diet as food for raising freshwater snails under laboratory conditions has a significant effect on their growth and the number of egg clutches laid as well as on the size of the snail. Now a days, some innovative farmers of Bangladesh started snail culture within their fish farms in the view of producing snail to use as feed for their Prawn (Macrobrachiam rosenbergii), indigenous catfish (Clarius batrachus) farms, domestic duck farms and also as a protein supplement for preparing fish feed. From previous study we know that Bulinus nyassanus growth and survive rate was found well on locally formulated fish diet consisting of 30% crude protein with ingredients comprising fish meal, maize bran, rice bran, soya bean, wheat bran, hemicellulose (binder), vitamin premix and mineral premix.  But no such research has been done in case of apple snail. The present study was aimed to investigate the feed formulation preferred by Pila globosa species and their effects on survival and growth of these snails in laboratory condition. Three type of formulated feed viz., pellet feed, fish meal and 50% fish meal + 50% crusted khudipana were used for the experiment in high and low stocking density of baby snails. The present findings shown that the diets in order of preference based on their effects on growth and survival of snails were formulated pellet feed, fish meal and 50% fish meal+ 50% crushed khudipana. After rearing of 28 days, highest growth found 0.32g with 86.66% survival with formulated diet in 60nos/L stocking density and 0.35g with 90% survival with formulated diet in 30nos/L stocking density. It`s indicate that the snails reared on formulated pellet feed diets and lower stocking density gave better performance in terms of survival and mean growth rate than those reared on other diets.