Influência da alimentação natural, Perifíton, no desenvolvimento de Acará bandeira - Pterophyllum scalare

Abstract

Aquarism is the technique of raising fish and plants inside aquariums, ponds or artificial lakes, for research or hobby purposes. With the great demand for ornamental fish, the hunting of fish in the natural environment increased, and thanks to aquarists from some countries, large-scale ornamental fish farming was created. It is crucial to inform that ornamental fish farming is a work of fish production in captivity for commercial purposes where tanks and aquariums are nothing like household ornamentation and establishments, however, the technologies used for the production of aquarium fish are, for many times, similar to those of the beef farm. One of the biggest problems in aquarium nutrition is related to the amount of different species kept in an aquarium, whether it is a residential or public aquarium, which can thus have countless combinations of preferences and food requirements. As in conventional fish farming, nutrition in ornamental fish farming continues to be the item with the highest cost in breeding, which does not differ from other animal production industries, in which nutrition is also the item with the highest expenditure. However, in contrast to these activities, in ornamental fish farming, numerous particularities make the optimization of feeding a difficult practice, leading to lower feed efficiency. Pterophyllum scalare, the Flag acara, is a small group of freshwater, tropical omnivorous fish of Amazonian origin, feeding on phyto and zooplankton, even small aquatic invertebrates in their free range. In captivity it is common to give dry food, and live food may be given periodically. This research aimed to raise data on the acceptance of periphyton/plankton as nutritional and economic potential for producers of ornamental fish. In the methodology, 120 fish were used, divided into 3 treatments, highlighting that periphyton/plankton becomes a nutritional supplement when offered together with the ration and a maintenance food when used alone, concluding that the use of live food is a great way to reduce the costs of animal nutrition in addition to ensuring the survival of the animal in times of scarcity.