Effect of two supplementary feed (food A and food B) on the growth of shinghi, Heteropneustes fossilis was observed for 3 months period during winter and summer. Food B containing rice bran 2 g, wheat bran 2 g and blood 10 ml, showed better growth. The net gain in length was 70.04 mm and in weight was 13.82 g. Total net production was observed as 254.00 g/m² with feed A and 345.50 g/m² with feed B

Hossain, M.A.

Parween, S.

Aquatic Commons

Bangladesh}. Fish. Res., . 2 (2) ,1998 : 205-207 
Sciintific Notes 
Effect of supplementary feed on the growth of shinghi 
(Heteropneustes fossilis Bloch) 
M. A. Hossain and S. Parween 
Department of Zoology, Rajshahi University 
Rajshahi-6205, Bangladesh 
Abstract 
Effect of two supplementary feed (food A and food B) Oil) the growth of shinghi, 
Heteropneustes fossilis was observed for 3 months period during winter and 
summer. Food B containing rice bran 2g, wheat bran 2g and blood 1 0 ml, 
showed better growth. The net gain in length was 70.04 mm and in weight was 
13.82 g. Total net production of the was observed as 254.00 g/m 2 with feed A 
and 345.50 g/m 2 with feed B. 
Key words : H. fossilis, Feed 
Supplementary feed is one of the most prime exogenous requisite for 
. proper fish culture. The supplementary fish feed may either be vegetable foods 
(e.g. pulse, cereals, grains, yeast, plant parts etc.) or of animal origin (e.g. fish 
meal, meat meal, blood, cheese, internal parts of animal body etc.) (Huet 1979). 
Whatever the food type may be, the criteria for a successful fish feed are, (i) 
readily acceptable, (ii) having high conversion rate (iii) availability (iv) high keeping 
quality and (v) low cost. 
Among the commercially important fishes of Bangladesh shinghi, 
Heteropneustes fossilis is rich in protein and minerals (Basu and Gupta 1939, 
Ahmed 1957, Sahidullah 1964). According to FAO report (1991) the chemical 
composition of the fish is 72% water, 19% protein, 8% fat, 0.15% calcium, 
0.25% phosphorus and 0.10% vitamin A, B, C and D. The fish fetches a high 
market price because of its therapeutic value. In natural habitat H. fossil/is is 
known to be carnivorous, but in intensive culture the fish responds to 
supplementary feeds, viz., slaughter house waste, trash fishes, silk worm 
pupae, oil cake, rice and wheat brans, compost, bio-gas slurry, etc., in various 
proportions and combinations (Dehadri 1978). Sengupta eta/. (1969) reported 
the possibility of intensive monoculture of the fish reared on supplementary 
feed. The present work is an attempt to study the growth of H. fossilis both in 
terms of length and weight with two types of supplementary feeds. 
Experiment was carried in two cement cisterns, each of them having a 
surface area of 4.86 m 2 and a depth of 2.5 to 3 m. Water sources were tap 
water and rain water. H. fossilis of average 75 to 90 mm in total length were 
collected from the market and acclimatised for 40 hours before release. Healthy 
M.A. Hossain & 5. Parween 
160 fish were released in each tank and provided with supplementary feed once 
in every 24 hours. One kind of food was supplied in one tank at a rate of 6% of 
the total body weight of the fishes which increased subsequently 7 to 8% as the 
fishes gain in weight. The experiments were carried for three months, once in 
the winter (December to February) and once in the summer (May to July). 
The supplementary feeds consisted of Food A mixture of rice bran (40%), 
wheat bran. (40%), chicken entrails (20%). The chicken entrails were cut into 
small pieces and boiled till soft. Food B: the mixture consisting of rice bran (2g) 
wheat bran (2g) and blood (1 0 ml). The blood was collected from 
slaughterhouse. The mixture was kept in an airtight container for 15 days and 
then refrigerated. Food A was used in the tank I and food B in tank II. 
Before stocking the initial total length and weight of the fry were recorded. In 
every 30 days 10 fishes were randomly collected and measured to record the 
subsequent growth in terms of length and weight. The coversion rate of the food 
supplied was determined from the formula used by Huet (1979) and Jhingran 
(1982). 
Food fed (dry) Conversion rate = ------'----"--'--
Fish live weight gain. 
The survival rate of the fishes after three months was 95 to 100% in winter 
and summer respectively in both the tanks. Both the food types resulted 
increase in length and weight of the fishe~ and the monthly growth was gradual 
with both foods (Table 1 ). The length weight relationships of the fishes fed on 
either type resulted increase in length and weight of the fishes and the monthly 
growth was gradual with both foods (Table 1 ). The length weight relationships of 
the fishes fed on either type of feed, were positively correlated. Moreover, the 
growth rate was higher in the summar than in winter (Table 2). The 't' test 
showed significant difference between the weight of the fishes fed on two 
different feeds (p<0.05). 
The present result showed gradual increase in growth of H. fossilis with 
supplementary feeds. The growth rates were similar as occurs in the natural 
habitat though the net gain in length and weight were not satisfactory. Stocking of 
fry at a rate of 25Im2 with supplementary feed yielded a production equivalent 
to 440 g!m2 in 4 months (Jhingran 1982) and 480 g!m2 in 6 months (Sengupta 
eta/. 1979). Whereas, in the present experiments the net gain in weight were 
only 52.26 g!m2 (food A) and 71.09 g!m2 (food B). Higher stocking rate (32 
fry/m2) and lesser rearing period might be the causes of lower growth rates as 
observed in the present study. Moreover, the temperature and soil condition 
also affecting factors of growth in H. fossilis (Macan et al. 1942, Ahmad 1957 an 
Jhingran 1982). The water depth (2.5 to 3 .. 0 m) which maintained in the 
experiment is not suitable for proper fish culture. 
The present results revealed that H. fossilis can be cultured in cemented 
tanks with supplementary feeds in 4 to 6 months time. 
206 
Effect of feed on H. fossil is 
Table 1. Growth of H. fossi/is during 3 months feeding on supplementary feed 
Feed Day-wise increase in body length (mm) Day-wise increase in body weight (g) Total 
type net 
Initial 30 w 90 Net Initial 30 w 90 Net producti 
gain gain on glm 2 
A 80.46 93.00 111.40 139.30 58.84 4.57 6.59 10.30 14.73 10.16 254.00 
Gain in 12.54 18.40 27.90 Gain in 2.02 3.71 4.43 
length weight 
B 80.46 96.67 122.27 154.50 70.04 4.57 8.34 13.13 18.39 13.82 345.50 
Gain in 16.21 26.83 31.00 Gain in 3.77 4.79 5.26 
length weight 
Table 2. Length-weight relationship of H. fossilis fed on supplementary feed 
Tank/food type No of value of 'a' value value Mean condition 
obs. of 'n' of 'r' factor K= TW (TI 3 
!/Feed A 10 1.25 "05 2.83 0.976 0.54 
11/Feed B 10 1.47-06 3.23 0.979 0.45 
References 
Ahmad, N., 1957. Fish wealths of East Pakistan. Directorate of Fisheries, Govt. of East 
Pakistan, 2 pp. 
Basu, K. P. and K. Gupta, 1939. Biological value of proteins of some species of Bengal 
fish by nitrogen balance and growth methods. }. Indian Chem. Soc. Calcutta: 543-
548. 
Dehadri, P.V:, 1978. Report of all India coordinated research: report on air breathing fish 
c1,dture at Central In land Fisheries Research Institute, Barrackpore, Dec. 12-13, 1978. 
Huet, M., 1979. Text Book of Fish Culture- Breeding and Cultivation of Fish. Fishing 
News Books Ltd., England, 437 pp. 
Jhingran, V. G., 1982. Fish and Fisheries of India. Hindustan Publ. Corp. (India). 666pp. 
Macan, T.T., C.H. Mortimer and E.B. Worthington, 1942. The production of freshwater 
fish for food. Freshwater Bioi. Assoc. Sci. Pub/., 6: 36 pp. 
Sengupta, K.K., A.K. Datta, S. Patra, R.N. Pal and S.D. Tripathi, 1979. Intensive 
monoculture of singhi (H. fossilis Bloch). In: Symposium on Inland Aquaculture, Feb. 
12-14,1979, CIFR/, Barrack pore. 
Shahidullah, M., 1964. Purba Pakistaner Khadya Hishabe Machher Gurutya. Kriskikatha 
24 (8): 472-474. 
(Manuscript received 7 7 September 7 997) 
207 


Effect of supplementary feed on the growth of shinghi (Heteropneustes fossilis Bloch)

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Effect of supplementary feed on the growth of shinghi (Heteropneustes fossilis Bloch)

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