Engorde piloto-comercial de Oreochromis niloticus (Tilapia del Nilo) en el ?Complejo Termal Los Médanos

CASTELLINI. D; GOROSITO . A; ZANAZZI. N; ENZO TRANIER; MARÍA FERNÁNDEZ-SUBIELA; JUAN C. MALLO

villavicencio

Conferencia; IV Conferencia Latinoamericana sobre Cultivo de Peces Nativos ? XIX Jornada de Acuicultura y el VI Foro Regional de Acuicultura.; 2013

Latin American and Caribbean Aquaculture 2013 (LACQUA2013 )

The present work arises in response to a request from Covitur S.R.L., to evaluate Oreochromis niloticus fattening cultured at the ?Complejo Termal Los Médanos? (38º50´37.04´´S - 62º 44? 21.66´´W). The Complex presents a continuous hot spring of 90000 l/h that flows through a canal system. The study conducted in situ, included determination of water quality and culture feasibility. The results of these analyses reveal that the water body presents the necessary conditions to culture this species, with a value of 88 for the Simplified Water Quality Index. Two hundred juvenile specimens were transported from the Aquaculture Laboratory of Mar del Plata Academic Unit (UTN) to the experimental facilities at the thermal complex in Los Medanos locality (province of Buenos Aires). The juvenile specimens (14.5±1.8g average weight) were placed in floating cages (1.30x1x1m) and harvested after 140 days. The average final weight was 423g and 435.9g, for cages 1 and 2, respectively with 91 and 87% survival in cages 1 and 2, respectively; thus, reaching the commercial size. SGR was 1.47%/day and 1.49%/day and FCR was 1.05 and 1.07 for cages 1 and 2, respectively. This study constitutes the first and so far the only culture and fattening experiment in thermal waters in Argentina. Moreover, this is the southernmost experiment related to tilapia culturing worldwide. The results from this study are encouraging to continue development of this activity.