Hydrogen Peroxide Treatment during Egg Incubation Improves Channel Catfish Hatching Success

Abstract

Three trials were conducted to evaluate the effect of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) treatment on the hatching success of channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus when administered during egg incubation as a 15-min bath or as a flow-through treatment. In the first trial, initial treatment with 100 mg povidone iodine/L followed by daily 15-min baths of 250 mg H₂O₂/L yielded a 26% increase (P < 0.05) in hatching success above controls. In the second trial, daily 15-min baths with H₂O₂ (250 mg/L) yielded a 30% increase (P < 0.05) in hatching success compared with povidone-iodine-treated controls and significantly improved hatching success compared with formalin-treated (1,600 mg/L) eggs. In the third trial, hydrogen peroxide was administered in flow-through hatching troughs. Egg masses treated with 70 mg H₂O₂/L had significantly improved (P < 0.05) hatching success compared with untreated controls (68.3% and 24.2%, respectively). The results of this research show that significant improvements in channel catfish hatching success can be obtained through the use of hydrogen peroxide as a cost-effective alternative to formalin.