Growth and survival of juvenile lined seahorse,Hippocampus erectus (Perry), at different stocking densities |
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Authors: | Dong Zhang Yinghui Zhang Junda Lin Qiang Lin |
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Institution: | 1. East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fisheries Sciences, Shanghai, China
Vero Beach Marine Laboratory, Florida Institute of Technology, Vero Beach, FL, USA;2. Vero Beach Marine Laboratory, Florida Institute of Technology, Vero Beach, FL, USA;3. Vero Beach Marine Laboratory, Florida Institute of Technology, Vero Beach, FL, USA
Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Environmental Dynamics, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China |
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Abstract: | The lined seahorse, Hippocampus erectus (Perry), is an important species in both medicinal and aquarium trades. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of stocking density (1, 3 and 5 individuals L?1) on the growth performance and survival of the early-stage juvenile H. erectus. The height (HT), wet weight, weight gain (WG) and specific growth rate (SGR) were affected significantly by the stocking density during the 40-day study. The HT, WG and SGR of the seahorse at 1 and 3 juveniles L?1 were significantly higher than that at 5 juveniles L?1. The survival of juveniles at the three stocking densities was not significantly different at day 25 (90.3 ± 4.5%, 86.7 ± 4.2% and 86.2 ± 3.8% for 1, 3 and 5 juveniles L?1 respectively), but was significantly different at day 40 (87.8 ± 3.9%, 69.6 ± 4.2% and 52.9 ± 2.8% for 1, 3 and 5 juveniles L?1 respectively). For the early-stage juvenile H. erectus, we recommend a stocking density of 3 juveniles L?1, but the density should be reduced to 1–2 juveniles L?1 to avoid reduced and variable growth and high mortality after 25 days. |
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Keywords: | Hippocampus erectus (Perry) density growth survival seahorse |
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