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Abstract
Four experiments with feed-trained crappies Pomoxis spp. were conducted to enhance the knowledge of growing crappies as food fish. Two experiments compared growth performance of juvenile Black Crappies P. nigromaculatus and White Crappies P. annularis (1) between fish that were fed two locally available commercial feeds or (2) among fish reared at densities of 0.81, 1.62, 3.25, and 6.50 g/L. No significant difference in growth performance between species was detected. Performance was significantly affected by commercial feed, but survival and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were not. An inverse relationship existed between density and growth variables except final biomass, which had a direct relationship with density; survival rate was not different among density levels. For the third experiment, Black Crappie growth in light-blue control tanks was compared with growth in environmentally enhanced tanks (150 L) that had top cover structure (TCS), bottom dark coloring (BDC), or a combination of both. Fish growth was not different between control and enhanced tank treatments but significantly differed between the TCS and BDC treatments. In the fourth experiment, growth was compared between hybrid crappies that were fed using 12- and 24-h belt feeders. Fish that were fed by use of the 12-h belt feeders had improved FCR relative to continuous 24-h feeding. These experiments demonstrated that crappies can be cultured successfully indoors, with no difference in early growth between species. Additionally, crappie growth could be affected by tank environment and by feeding regimen.
Received February 13, 2014; accepted May 11, 2014
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This project was supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (Evans–Allen Agricultural Research Projects MOX-Omara-Alwala-2 and MOX-Hicks-3). DSM Nutritional Products, Inc., provided the choline chloride, vitamin premix, and ascorbic acid. Rick Barrows (USDA Agricultural Research Service) provided the mineral premix.