Sustainable Mud Crab Aquaculture Using Individual Battery Cage Systems in Silvofishery Ponds

Silvofishery systems integrate aquaculture with mangrove forestry, offering ecological and economic benefits. This study investigated the effectiveness of individual cell cage battery systems for fattening mud crabs (Scylla spp < em>.) in silvofishery ponds. Ninety male mud crabs were individually housed in battery cages and assigned to three feeding treatments: commercial feed (Treatment 1), trash fish (Treatment 2), and salted fish (Treatment 3). Growth performance indicators, including absolute growth (AG), specific growth rate (SGR), and survival rate (SR), were measured over a 21-day culture period. Crabs fed with trash fish showed significantly higher AG (45.93 ± 3.7g) and SGR (1.4 ± 0.1%) compared to those fed commercial feed (30.43 ± 3.9g AG; 0.81 ± 0.09% SGR) and salted fish (18.3 ± 4.07 g AG; 0.5 ± 0.1% SGR) (P<0.05). All treatments achieved a 100% survival rate. Water quality parameters remained within or near optimal ranges throughout the study, with temperature at 27.29 ± 0.68°C, pH at 7.72 ± 0.25, salinity at 27.54 ± 1.25ppt, and ammonia at 0mg/ L. Dissolved oxygen was slightly below the optimal threshold at 4 ± 0.78ppm, while other nutrients such as nitrate (0.014 ± 0.3mg/ L), nitrite (0.012 ± 0.2mg/ L), and phosphate (0.65 ± 1.1mg/ L) were within acceptable limits. Individual cell cage systems significantly improved mud crab growth and survival by mitigating cannibalism and optimizing feed intake. This study highlights the potential of combining silvofishery systems with battery cage technology to enhance sustainable aquaculture productivity.