The Effect of Different Natural Feed Types on the Gonadal Maturity of Asiatic Snakehead (Channa asiatica)

Abstract

The Asiatic snakehead (Channa asiatica) is a freshwater ornamental fish of high economic value, but its cultivation is constrained by low reproductive productivity, which is strongly influenced by the quality of broodstock feed. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of different types of natural feed on the gonadal maturity of C. asiatica. The research applied a completely randomized design (CRD) with three treatments and three replications: earthworm (Lumbricus rubellus, P1), mealworm (Tenebrio molitor, P2), and freshwater shrimp (Macrobrachium sintangense, P3), each given at 5% of the fish biomass twice daily for 30 days. The observed variables were the gonadosomatic index (GSI), gonad index (GI), hepatosomatic index (HSI), survival rate, and water quality. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA followed by Duncan's multiple range test at α = 0.05. Descriptively, the earthworm treatment (P1) produced the highest mean values of GSI (2.00%), GI (0.0300×10⁷), and HSI (1.80%); however, ANOVA revealed no significant differences among treatments for any variable (p > 0.05), and all treatments fell within the same Duncan subset. The survival rate ranged from 80–100% and water quality remained within suitable ranges throughout the study. These findings indicate that, under the tested conditions, the three natural feed types provided a comparable contribution to the gonadal maturation of C. asiatica, with earthworm showing a consistent tendency toward higher values.