Sea cucumber Holothuria scabra or commonly known as sandfish is high in protein, low fat and contains bioactive compounds which exhibit antimicrobial and anticancer properties. The high demand for sandfish that has led to over-exploitation worldwide has urged for the farming of this species. Seed production of sandfish in the hatcheries is being developed to accommodate aquaculture needs as well as for stock enhancement programme. In the hatchery, artificial breeding using several techniques including heat shock and diet stimulant techniques has been well established. However, larvae and juvenile rearing remain the major constrain in the production due to very low survival rates. To establish the rearing technique, appropriate diet and proper feeding schedule were investigated. At the larval stage, Nannochloropsis sp. and Chaetoceros calcitrans were given for higher growth and faster metamorphosis from auricularia into doliolaria stage. For the early juvenile stage, diatom flocs were found to be more efficiently digested compared to Navicula sp. a benthic diatom. Feeding trials revealed that juvenile sandfish fed with 30% diatom flocs and 70% sea mud had higher weight gain and growth rate. These findings are very important for the establishment of sandfish production.
Keywords: Sandfish, breeding, feeding, microalgae, flocs, growth