Effects of different pond culture conditions on the growth performance, survival rate, and biochemical composition of Acanthopagrus schlegeli and Apostichopus japonicus

Abstract

In the pond culture production process, culture patterns and conditions have important impacts on the feeding, growth, metabolism, behavior, physiology, biochemistry, and immune responses of aquatic animals. These interact with the ecological environment to jointly determine the production outcome of pond culture. Both of Acanthopagrus schlegeli and Apostichopus japonicus are high economic value mariculture animals. This study investigated the effects of pond monoculture and integrated culture patterns as well as different culture densities, water depths, and background colors used in the integrated culture pattern on the growth performance, survival rate (SR), and biochemical composition of A. schlegeli and A. japonicus. Finally, the suitable conditions for integrated pond culture of A. schlegeli and A. japonicus were obtained. Under the patterns AB (integrated culture of A. schlegeli and A. japonicus), A (A. schlegeli monoculture), and B (A. japonicus monoculture), differences in final body weight (W_t-final), specific daily growth rate (SGR), secondary production (P), and SR were not significant (p > 0.05). However, the overall growth of cultured animals in AB was better than in A or B. The differences in proximate composition between A. schlegeli and A. japonicus were not significant among different culture patterns (p > 0.05), nor were the differences in superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity of A. schlegeli between AB and A (p > 0.05). However, the SOD activity of A. japonicus in AB was significantly higher than in B (p < 0.05). Based on the statistical analysis and actual production situation, density bc (A. schlegeli: 36 ind. m⁻³, A. japonicus: 5 ind. cage⁻¹) would be the most suitable combination for integrated culture of A. schlegeli and A. japonicus. The optimal water depth for integrated culture of A. schlegeli and A. japonicus would be 2 m, and white would be the best background color. Our study results provide useful scientific data for the pond culture production and management of A. schlegeli and A. japonicus.