Standardisation of stocking density for raising fingerlings of farm-bred peninsular carp Barbodes carnaticus (Jerdon, 1849)

A 90-day trial was conducted to determine the optimal stocking density for raising fingerlingsof Barbodes carnaticus (Jerdon, 1849). The fish were reared in cement tanks of 24 m2 atstocking densities of 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, 105 and 120 m-2. Initially, cow dung was appliedat a basal rate of 3 t ha-1 in the experimental rearing tanks. After a week of manuring, thetanks were stocked with fry of B. carnaticus (mean length 0.98±0.04 cm; weight 4.55±0.04mg). During the first month, the fish were fed a mixture of groundnut oil cake and rice bran(1:1) at 10% of body weight. A sinking pellet feed (3 mm, 35% crude protein) based on fishmealwas fed to satiation in the second and third months. The harvested fish weight ranged from0.50 g in 120 m-2 to 3.53 g in 15 m-2 densities, whereas fish length varied from 3.55 cm in 120m-2 to 6.66 cm in 15 m-2 densities. The results showed that the stocking density inverselycorrelated with final length and weight. The condition factor ranged between 1.01 and1.20, while survival rate varied from 85.66 to 91.47%, with no differences (p>0.05) betweentreatments. The highest fish biomass per tank was recorded under stocking densities of 30and 45 m-2, which indicates that 45 m-2 is the optimal stocking density for fry to fingerlingrearing of B. carnaticus. Keywords:Carnatic carp, Puntius carnaticus, Seed rearing,Species diversification