THE REARING OF MEGALOPA MUD CRAB (Scylla serrata) USING DIFFERENT FORMULATED FEED AS ADDITIONAL SOURCE OF FOOD
Cannibalism during mud crab larvae rearing is remaining crucial issue on mud crab hatchery. The combination between natural and formulated feed not only to satisfy nutritional requirement of crab larvae, yet also to increase feed availability to avoid cannibalism. This study was aimed to analyze the type of additional formulated feed on survival rate and growth of mud crab (Scylla serrata) larvae reared from megalopa until crablet stage. The larvae of mud crabs were feed with nauplii of artemia which was considered as Tretment A (Control), nauplii of artemia and commercial feed for shrimp PL2-5 (Treatment B), nauplii of artemia and ebi (Treatment C) and nauplii of artemia and commercial shrimp feed (Treatment D). A total of 20 ind. of crab larvae consisting of 15 ind of megalopa and 5 ind. of zoea were reared in each 50 x 30 x 40 cm3 aquarium filled with 45 L of sea water for 14 days when the larvae reached stages of crablet 7 to 9 (D7-D9).
Higher survival rate was found at Treatment B (31.66%), whereas Treatment C resulted in higher body weight, length and width carapace of the crablets. However, in general, this study indicated that that additional formulated feed did not affect the survival rate, individual biomass as well as size of carapace (Table 1). Further study should be conducted for additional formulated feed during the nursery in the pond as formulated feed becomes the main feed of crablet.