Induced breeding and larval rearing of Surubí, Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum (Linnaeus, 1766), from the Bolivian Amazon

Brooders of Surubí (Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum) were caught in the Ichillo River (Bolivian Amazon) and adapted to captivity conditions for 1 year in the facilities of the experimental aquaculture station of ‘El Prado’ (Santa Cruz de la Sierra) under natural temperature and photoperiod conditions. Induced reproduction was obtained by means of Ovaprim^® (Syndel, Canada) injections and artificial fertilization. Sperm and ova were obtained by gentle stripping of male and female brooders. Fertilized eggs were incubated in 60 L Zug jars. A mean hatching rate of 73.7±19.0% was obtained after 24 h at 26.5 °C. For larval rearing, several protocols were tested with different settings of photoperiod, light intensity, food type and period of distribution, and stocking density. The best survival rates were obtained with Artemia nauplii feeding in total darkness. A high level of aggressiveness between larvae and precocious appearance of jumpers was observed, but these can be controlled with appropriate rearing conditions.