(5) Breeding and hatchery management of giant gourami.pdf

GIANT GOURAMI (Osphronemous goramy) LYDA B. BALAGTEY Technical staff, BFAR-NFTC  Giant gourami, Osphronemus goramy, is an important species in the ornamental as well as the edible species in aquaculture industries. Traditionally, culture of giant gourami is a form of ‘s...

GIANT GOURAMI (Osphronemous goramy) LYDA B. BALAGTEY Technical staff, BFAR-NFTC  Giant gourami, Osphronemus goramy, is an important species in the ornamental as well as the edible species in aquaculture industries. Traditionally, culture of giant gourami is a form of ‘savings’ for fish farmers  KINGDOM | Animalia PHYLUM | Cordata SUBPHYLUM | Vertebrata CLASS | Actinopterygii ORDER | Perciformes FAMILY | Osphronemidae GENUS | Osphronemus SPECIES | Osphronemus goramy Source: Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Report  Native Range: South East Asia – Indonesia, Malay Peninsula, Thailand, and Mekong basin Reported to be globally distributed in 18 countries (India, the United States (California), Colombia, Seychelles, Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan, New Caledonia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Papua New Guinea) Source: GBIF Secretariat (2019)  Largest species in its family Growth: can reach >70cm, but normally the maximum size is 45- 50 cm Capable of surviving out of water for long periods due to its lung-like labyrinth organ that allows them to gulp air and use atmospheric oxygen A maze-shaped organ located above the gills Source: FAO, 2024. Osphronemus goramy. Cultured Aquatic Species Information Programme  Mature males will develop a Less prominent 'nuchal hump’ 'nuchal hump’, a swollen knob or lump on the forehead. Thicker lips Has dark/black pectoral fin base White pectoral Longer and pointed fin base Shorter and rounded dorsal and anal fin dorsal and anal fin  Omnivorous, but with a strong vegetarian tendency it can also eat a wide range of other food resources (frogs, tadpoles, snails, small fish, etc.) Source: FAO, 2024. Osphronemus goramy. Cultured Aquatic Species Information Programme.  prefer calm waters, especially slow-moving areas such as lakes and large rivers. They are also found in flood plains and irrigation canals. Irrigation canals Flood plains Lakes Rivers Source: FAO, 2024. Osphronemus goramy. Cultured Aquatic Species Information Programme.  Maturity starts at 3rd but mostly on the 4th year. Low fecundity and are Oligospermic  Male giant gourami breeders are territorial When a female giant gourami enters its territory, mating is initiated The male will wrap his flexible body around the female in a tight embrace and turning the female to her back Female lay her eggs which are then fertilized by the male (external fertilization). Male gathers the floating eggs and tucks them up into the nest. Male builds a spherical to oval nest Nest building takes 8 - 10 days.  Male chases the female (or other fish) away from the nest. Male keeps guarding them for 14- 21 days until the young can feed for themselves. Relative fecundity ranging from 1300 to 2500 eggs per kg of female; egg diameter is around 2-3 mm; eggs are buoyant, due to the presence of yolk and a very large oil globule (Baras et al., 2018).  Day 1-2 Day 9-10 Day 3-4 Egg Development of Giant Gourami Day 5-6 Day 8 Hatching: 35-40 hours Day 7 Feeding: 8-10 days from hatching  Juvenile Adult As juveniles, their head is pointed. Adults without vertical bars They have 8 - 10 dark vertical or sexual dichromatism. bars, giving them a black and Caudal fin rounded. gold striped appearance.  Temperature - gonadal development is affected by temperature Tranquility - frequent disturbance affect normal gonadal development Depth of the pond- 0.5m to 1 m  Male and female giant gourami breeders are conditioned in separate hapas Conditioning should be done a week before stocking 1. Draining and drying of pond Eliminates undesirable/nuisance species in the pond Oxidizes organic matter 2. Installation of net divider 3. Water filling (0.5 to 1 m deep) 4. Stocking of kangkong and lemna (as food, shelter and materials for building the nest) 4 compartments 14 compartments Collection of breeders from conditioning hapas Weight of Breeder = 700g and above  Sex Ratio - 1 male to 1 female Stocking Rate - recommended rate of one pair for each 3 – 5 m2 of pond area Do not overcrowd the pond… Male gouramis are fin nippers and will bother other fish in the pond. They shred other’s fins to the point that the victim can't swim and dies. An increase in male aggression, and males will find it difficult to maintain nest sites. An increase in rate of cannibalism of fry by non-spawning females and males.  In spite of parental care, the survival rate of eggs under natural conditions is very low due to: predators such as water insects, frogs, leeches; pollution of the water inside the nest, and fluctuations of water level in the pond. Hence, to achieve better survival rates, the eggs deposited in the nests are collected and hatched under controlled conditions.  Nest is composed of plants fibers (i.e. roots, twigs) in spherical/oval shape build by male the gourami. Nest building takes about 8 – 10 days  nest Monitoring is done every other day to avoid disturbance  Presence of oil in the nest area. Underside of the nest is sealed Male guards the nest Fishy odor  The nest is anchored to surrounding twigs The base is cut to remove the nest for egg collection  Plant fibers are gently removed Buoyant eggs are located at the center of the nest Nest materials  Eggs are cleaned and transferred to a basin filled with clean water  Dead eggs and oil globules are removed using a dropper Gourami hatchery  Basin with minimal aeration Hatching occurs 35-40 hours at 28-30oC Always ready a basin with aerated water  Stocking density: 200 pcs/ m2 Size of hapa: 1 x 5 x 1m fine mesh Fry are reared until they reach net. 1.5 - 3cm for stocking in grow- Water lettuce – serves as refuge for out ponds. fry. Released after 1 week in hapas Ponds are seined after 3 weeks to collect fingerlings, usually done prior to pond draining.  The nutritional status of broodfish is one Type of feed: Fish grower or finisher of the major important factors affecting fry production. (commercial feed) Form of feed: Pellet/Extruded Poor nutrition can result in poor or no reproductive performance. Crude Protein: 30% Supplemental feeding is necessary to Feeding Rate: 3% of Body Weight regulate growth, keep the fish in good Feeding Frequency: Twice a day (8- condition and prepare and activate 9AM & 2- 3PM) them for reproduction.  Feeding Water quality/level monitoring Grass cutting Fertilization Monitoring of nest for presence of eggs Record keeping  Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Report (https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN &search_value=638762#null) FAO, 2024. Osphronemus goramy. Cultured Aquatic Species Information Programme. Text by Caruso, D., Arifin, Z.O., Subagja, J., Jacques Slembrouck, J. and New, M.. In: Fisheries and Aquaculture. Rome. [Cited Friday, July 12th 2024]. https://www.fao.org/fishery/en/culturedspecies/osphronemus_gora my/en U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Gourami (Osphronemus goramy). Ecological Risk Screening Summary.