Growth and production of hatchery-reared juvenile spotted babylon <i>Babylonia areolata</i> Link 1807 cultured to marketable size in intensive flowthrough and semi-closed recirculating water systems

Abstract

Hatchery-reared juvenile spotted babylon Babylonia areolata (mean initial shell length 12.8 mm) were cultured intensively to marketable size in three 3.0 × 2.5 × 0.7 m indoor canvas rectangular tanks. The duplicate treatments of flowthrough and semi-closed recirculating sea-water systems were compared at an initial stocking density of 300 individuals m−2 (2250 juveniles per tank). The animals were fed ad libitum with fresh carangid fish Selaroides leptolepis once daily. During 240 culture days, average growth rates in shell length and body weight were 3.86 mm month−1 and 1.47 g month−1 for the flowthrough system and 3.21 mm month−1 and 1.10 g month−1 for those in the semi-closed recirculating system. Survival in the flowthrough system (95.77%) was significantly higher than that in the semi-closed recirculating system (79.28%). Feed conversion ratios were 1.68 and 1.96 for flowthrough and semi-closed recirculating systems respectively.