Assessment of Growth Performance, Feed Utilization, and Survival Rate of Piaractus Mesopotamicus (Small-scaled Pacu) Fed Cooked Chicken Meat under Captive Conditions

Abstract

Piaractus mesopotamicus (Holmberg, 1887), commonly known as small-scaled Pacu, is a freshwater fish native to the Paraguay–Paraná River basin of South America. The species is widely used in aquaculture because of its rapid growth and high-quality flesh. This study evaluated the growth performance, feed utilization, and survival of juvenile P. mesopotamicus fed cooked chicken meat under laboratory conditions from 2–9 March 2026 in Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Twenty-one juvenile fish were distributed equally among three glass aquaria, with seven fish per aquarium. The fish were fed cooked chicken meat for seven days. Growth performance was evaluated using final body weight, weight gain, percentage weight gain, daily weight gain, and specific growth rate (SGR). Feed utilization was assessed using feed conversion ratio (FCR) and feed conversion efficiency (FCE). Survival and mortality were also determined. The mean final body weight was 29.11 ± 0.10 g. Mean weight gain was 3.15 ± 0.49 g fish⁻¹, while percentage weight gain was 12.29 ± 1.89%. Mean daily weight gain was 0.45 ± 0.07 g day⁻¹, and SGR was 1.65 ± 0.25% day⁻¹. Mean FCR and FCE were 1.23 ± 0.19 and 82.40 ± 11.51%, respectively. Twelve fish survived and nine died during the experiment. Overall survival was 57.14%, and mortality was 42.86%. Water temperature ranged from 26.8 to 27.1°C, pH from 7.2 to 7.3, and dissolved oxygen from 5.6 to 5.8 mg L⁻¹. The results indicate that juvenile P. mesopotamicus showed short-term weight gain when fed cooked chicken meat. However, the high mortality rate indicates that further studies are required to evaluate dietary adequacy and fish health. Nutritionally balanced diets and longer feeding trials are recommended to determine the suitability of chicken meat as a supplementary feed for juvenile fish.