Intercropped cultivation of arapaima with tilapia

Abstract

Abstract: With the purpose of studying the growth of arapaima (Arapaima gigas) and tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in an intercropping, a pond area of 190 m2, has been excavated in Gleissolo Háplico populated with individuals of 10 A was used . gigas measuring 21.5 cm in average length and weighing an average of 54.21 g. The tilapia was introduced as food, totaling 6840 individuals (36 fish m-2) measuring 5.4 cm on average, and an average weight of 3.2 g, and six couples tilapia with 12.4 cm and 32.46 g of total average length and average total weight, respectively. Tilapia were fed diet of chicken mash with 23% crude protein in quantities of 2% of the initial biomass throughout the growing season, just to maintain basic needs. The growth of A. gigas, submitted to foraging fingerlings of O. niloticus in captivity, was estimated monthly by: relative increase in length relative increase in weight growth curve fitted to the data length, weight / length, and growth curves were obtained by weight deductive method of conjunction between weight / length ratio and the growth curve in length, the survival curve of tilapia was obtained by curve fitting the monthly data of densities and biomass for the curves conjunction between the survival curves of the growth and weight. The results showed that tilapia should be offered as food less than 15 cm and fish densities above 36 m 2 per 10 pirarucus throughout the cultivation period size. From 15 cm, tilapia is hardly consumed by arapaima and may be available to the fish farmer to consumer.