Rising Temperature Effects on Growth and Gastric Emptying Time of Freshwater African Catfish (Clarias Gariepinus) Fingerlings

Simple Summary Fish are influenced by their surroundings. We investigated the effect of water temperature ranging from 26 degrees C to 32 degrees C on the growth performance and gastric emptying time (GET) of commonly cultured African catfish Clarias gariepinus fingerlings. Water temperatures between 26 degrees C and 32 degrees C were satisfactory for the growth of African catfish fingerlings, with GET observed between 10 and 16 h. Our experiment provides baseline data of the effects of water temperature on the culture of catfish. The present study was carried out to analyse the effect of water temperature on two components: (1) growth performance, and (2) gastric emptying time (GET) of African catfish Clarias gariepinus fingerlings. After 70 days, it was observed that experimental temperatures had no significant effects on the growth performance parameters, except for food conversion ratio (FCR) and food conversion efficiency (FCE). GET observation through X-radiography denoted that the shortest GET (10 h) was observed in fish reared at 32 degrees C and the longest GET (16 h) was observed in fish reared at 26 degrees C. The rapid digestion rate coincides with the FCR and FCE obtained in this study. Considering the limited scope of our study, more extensive studies on the impact of water temperature on other fish physiological parameters should be pursued. A better understanding of this research topic would be beneficial for the growth of African catfish fingerling aquaculture.

Automated summary

Fish are influenced by their surrounding environment, including water temperature. In this study, the effects of water temperature ranging from 26 to 32 degrees Celsius on the growth performance and gastric emptying time of African catfish fingerlings were investigated. The experiment provided baseline data on the impact of water temperature on the culture of catfish, showing that temperatures between 26 to 32 degrees Celsius were suitable for the growth of African catfish fingerlings with gastric emptying times ranging between 10 and 16 hours. Further research on the physiological parameters of fish in different water temperatures is recommended for a better understanding of aquaculture practices.