Effects of Diet and Organic Fertilization on Water Quality and Benthic Macroinvertebrate Populations in Ponds Used to Culture Freshwater Prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii

ABSTRACT

Effects of three diets: (1) complete diet; (2) supplemental diet (vitamin and mineral supplements not added); and (3) the supplemental diet with an adjunct organic fertilization regimen (using distiller's dried grains with solubles [DDGS]) on benthic macroinvertebrate populations and water quality in experimental ponds used to culture freshwater prawns, Macrobrachium rosenbergii were investigated. Benthic samples were taken from deep (1.5 m) and shallow (1.0 m) areas of each of nine 0.02-ha ponds every three weeks, using a 0.09-m² Ekman dredge. The abundance of gastro-pods, oligochaetes, total non-insects, chironomids, total dipterans, total insects, and total macroinvertebrates was significantly higher (P <0.05) in ponds receiving the complete diet, possibly due to lower predatory pressure by prawns or direct benefits of micronutri-ents. Total macroinvertebrate abundance was significantly decreased (P <0.05) in ponds receiving supplemental diet (with and without organic fertilization), possibly due to increased predation by prawns to supplement the nutrition not provided by the lower quality diet. Organic fertilization significantly increased (P <0.05) the abundance of oligochaetes and total macroinvertebrates. These data suggest that M. rosenbergii can adjust to reduced feed quality by increasing consumption of benthic fauna.