| The present study evaluated the effects of live and formulated feeds on growth, survival and condition factor of Gambusia affinis larvae under controlled laboratory conditions. Forty-six larvae collected from Mohan Ram Pond, Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh, were randomly allocated to two experimental tanks (23 larvae per tank) and reared for 84 days. The live-feed treatment received Artemia nauplii, Daphnia and mosquito larvae, whereas the formulated-feed treatment received commercially available Taiyo aquarium fish feed. Fish were fed once daily. Body length and body weight were recorded at regular intervals, while survival and Fulton’s condition factor (K) were calculated. Temperature, pH, total hardness and total ammonia were monitored weekly. Larvae receiving live feed attained a final mean length of 4.70 cm and body weight of 1.2564 g, compared with 4.00 cm and 0.7682 g, respectively, under formulated feeding. Length gain was 4.20 cm with live feed and 3.60 cm with formulated feed, while weight gain was 1.2550 and 0.7675 g, respectively. Final survival was 65.22% in the live-feed treatment and 56.52% in the formulated-feed treatment. Fulton’s K remained above 1.0 in both treatments (1.12–1.21 and 1.07–1.20, respectively). Water quality remained within the observed ranges of 25–36 °C, pH 5.6–7.6, hardness 280–450 mg L⁻¹ and ammonia 0.3–0.5 mg L⁻¹. The findings indicate that both diets supported larval development, but the live-feed regime was associated with greater growth and survival under the conditions of this trial. The study provides baseline information for improving larval feeding practices for G. affinis in laboratory and small-scale hatchery systems.
Keywords: Gambusia affinis; live feed; formulated feed; Artemia; Daphnia; mosquito larvae; larval rearing; growth; survival; condition factor
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