EVALUATING THE EFFICACY OF SUBSTRATE, INDIVIDUAL BOTTLE, AND BIOFLOC CULTURE METHODS ON THE GROWTH, FEED EFFICIENCY, AND SURVIVAL OF GIANT FRESHWATER PRAWN, Macrobrachium rosenbergii POST LARVAE

The Giant Freshwater Prawn (GFP) Macrobrachium rosenbergii holds significant commercial significance globally. Nevertheless, the optimal rearing system to enhance overall productivity for this species remains unclear. A 60-day rearing trial was conducted to examine the impact of different farming methods on growth performance, feed utilisation efficiency, survival rate, and cost-effectiveness of GFP. Three culture methods, with substrate (control, T1), individual bottle (T2), and biofloc technology (T3) were used with triplicate groups of GFP each. The results indicated that GFP in the T2 exhibited superior weight gain (185.56%) than T3 groups (91.03%) during the initial 30 days of the experiment. However, after 60 days of rearing, GFP in the T3 demonstrated significantly (p < 0.05) better growth performance (1188.16% of body weight gain) and Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) (1.90) among all the culture methods due to increased nutrient availability and reduced cannibalism in the biofloc environment. In contrast, the T2-cultured GFP did not significantly improve survival and growth performance despite having a higher FCR and the highest operational cost. Therefore, T3 emerges as a more viable farming method that enhances the overall productivity of GFP.