The objective of this study was to compare the growth performance and cost of production of Pseudoplatystoma corruscans stocked in two culture systems: semi-intensive (ponds, P) and intensive (cage, C). From three hundred (300) one-year-old fish, one hundred fifty (150) were stocked in one pond (mean weight and length 1.48±0.46kg and 57.31±6.42cm), one hundred fifty (150), distributed in three cages (mean weight and length 1.27±0.34kg and 55.05±4.11cm). The fish were fed with extruded commercial ration with 15.0mm floating pellets containing 40% crude protein (CP) and, 3,110Kcal of digestible energy (DE), adjusted monthly. The parameters of water were: temperature = 24.08°C; pH=6.89; dissolved oxygen = 7.57mg L-1. The values of mean final length (P=74.07±4.34cm; C=70.33±5.02cm) and final weight (P=3.41±0.52kg; C=2.94±0.60kg) they showed similar development in both systems. Means of factor condition - K - (0.009-0.036); daily weight gain - DWG - (9.29g day-1-8.95g day-1); feed conversion- FC - (3.09-4.15); Total ration consume - TRC - (29.6g day-1-74.16 g day-1); growing index - IC - (0.219-0.215); survival - S - (97.33-90.67%) for P e C, respectively. Through the variance of analysis can be verified that there are significative interactions of the parameters between the culture systems and months (P<0.05). The produced weight of fish was R$ 8.76 (US$ 2.85) and R$ 8.73 (US$ 2.33) for P and C. Although P showed best performance during the period and economic vantage, the growing index demonstrated that both systems had similar development.
Pseudoplatystoma corruscans; zootechnical and economic performances
