Growth and reproductive performance of female guppy, Poecilia reticulata (Peters) fed diets with different nutrient levels

Abstract

Three feeds used in guppy (Poecilia reticulata) farming in south Asia were evaluated for their effects on growth and reproductive performance of females. Feeds namely diet - 1, 2 and 3 contained 18.26%, 29.27% and 43.60% protein and 4.17%, 4.55% and 9.47% lipid respectively. The growth and reproductive performance were evaluated based on growth parameters, gonadal development and fry production. Fish fed diet-3 had significantly (p<0.05) higher specific growth rate compared to the other two groups. The ovary weight and ovary volume of guppy fed with diet-3 were also significantly (p<0.05) higher than those with diets 1 and 2. The absolute fecundity values were 4.28±1.61, 7.98±1.89 and 18.44±2.07 respectively for the fish fed diet-1, diet-2 and diet-3. The number of fry produced and their survival were also significantly (p<0.05) higher in fishes fed diet-3. The diet which resulted in better growth and reproductive performance of female guppy, was found to contain the recommended levels of protein and lipid compared to other diets. The resuls of the present study demonstrated that the use of feed with inadequate nutrients can lead to poor reproductive performance thereby necessitating more breeding area to fulfill the production targets especially in commercial guppy farming.