Effect of shelters on the growth and cultivation performance of the endemic snail, Pomacea patula catemacensis, cultured in a recirculating system during its grow-out

Abstract

This study describes the process of Pomacea patula catemacensis grow-out in outdoor tanks. Experimental juvenile snails (1.5-2 months old) obtained from wild breeding snails were reared using a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS). The present study focused on increasing the surface area of growth tanks to be used by snails without affecting their growth and survival by adding shelters throughout the water column, which also worked to harbor snails. Two treatments were tested; T1: shelters made with curved clay tiles, T2: curved PVC shelters, and control (without shelters) in triplicate. The stocking density was set at 420 ind m-2 in tanks with 1 m3 total volume, and the culture period was 150 days. The final weight of the snails was significantly higher in control and PVC shelter groups (9.14 ± 2.2 and 8.83 ± 2.31 g, respectively), with PVC shelters showing the highest productivity in total biomass (12.03 ± 0.86 kg tank-1, P < 0.05). Final survival (%) was not significantly different among treatments (56.49 ± 1.62 to 58.05 ± 0.62).