By Chrisoetanto PatrickPattirane, Aripudin,Asep Suryana, & Herlin Kawati
Being a herbivorous species, abalone relies heavily on the presence of macroalgae as its primary source of sustenance. Commonly utilized macroalgae species for abalone feed include Ulva sp. (green algae) and Gracilaria sp. (red algae). The utilization of brown algae remains relatively uncommon, thus necessitating further investigation. This study was carried out at the Superior Shrimp and Fishery Production Center (BPIU2K) in Bali.
The rearing setup involved the use of a fiber tub measuring 200x100x60 cm^3 as the rearing tank, alongside plastic baskets measuring 40x30x10 cm^3 each. A total of nine baskets were employed, with three baskets allocated for each of Gracilaria sp. (pink color), Ulva sp. (blue color), and Padina sp. (green color). Stocking was conducted in the morning, introducing 216 individuals at a stocking density of 2 individuals per liter per basket, with an average shell length of 3.1 cm and an average weight of 6.04 g.
Feeding occurred once every two days ad-libitum, incorporating Gracilaria sp., Ulva sp., and Padina sp. Water quality parameters, including temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), salinity, and pH, were monitored daily, while siphoning of the container bottom was performed every two days.
Juvenile abalone maintenance was organized under a completely randomized design (RAL), comprising three feed treatments: Gracilaria sp. (A1), Ulva sp. (A2), and Padina sp. (A3), each replicated three times. ANOVA analysis of juvenile abalone growth revealed no statistically significant differences (P>0.05), albeit observable differences visually. The shell length and width of juveniles fed Gracilaria sp., Ulva sp., and Padina sp. were respectively 4.1 cm and 2.6 cm, 4.0 cm and 2.4 cm, and 3.8 cm and 2.3 cm. The weight of abalone juveniles fed Gracilaria sp., Ulva sp., and Padina sp. were 12.50 g, 10.83 g, and 9.20 g, respectively. Juveniles fed Gracilaria sp. and Ulva sp. exhibited a 100% survival rate, whereas those fed Padina sp. demonstrated a survival rate of 98.61%.
Source:
Pattirane, C.P., Suryana, A. and Kawati, H., 2023. Utilization Different Macroalgae to Enhance Growth and Survival Rate of Juvenile Abalone, Haliotis squamata. Jurnal Moluska Indonesia, 7(2), pp.88-96. 🔗