Effect of chitin on growth performance of the indigenous Himalayan fishes- snow trout Schizothorax richardsonii (grey) and golden mahseer Tor putitora (Ham.)

Abstract

Golden mahseer, Tor putitora (Hamilton) and snow trout, Schizothorax richardsonii (Gray) were fed with diet containing chitin at 0 and 2 % level for a period of eight weeks. The control diet (without chitin) and the experimental diet (with 2 % chitin) were fed to triplicate groups of fishes having a mean initial body weight of 5.33 - 5.36 g for golden mahseer and 11.81 - 11.88 g for snow trout. In golden mahseer, net weight gain, specific growth rate (SGR), feed conversion ratio (FCR) and percentage survival were not significantly (p>0.05) different in fish fed with control and chitin supplemented diets. However, in snow trout, net weight gain, SGR and FCR were significantly (p<0.05) better in fish fed with chitin supplemented diet compared to those maintained on control diet. These results suggest that the dietary supplementation of chitin is advantageous for snow trout growth but has no significant impact on the growth of golden mahseer.