Effects of Different Types of Substrate on Growth and Survival of Juvenile Spotted Babylon, Babylonia areolata Link 1807, Reared to Marketable Size in a Flow-through Seawater System

Abstract

Hatchery-reared juvenile spotted babylon, B. areolata, with initial mean shell length of 12.7+ 0.4 mm (n = 20), were cultured to marketable size for 180 days in a flow-through seawater system. Five types of substrates namely; fine sand, coarse sand, mud, small shell fragments, and no substrate as control were used to examine their effects on the growth and survival of juvenile spotted babylon. No difference in growth and survival was observed among juveniles reared with the four substrates treatments except those under the control of no substrate treatment. Survival exceeded 90% in all treatments.