Trairão (Hoplias cf. lacerdae) fingerlings, averaging 12.52 g and 10.5 cm, respectively, previously trained to accept artificial feed, were stocked in six tanks (5 m²), under two stocking rates: 1 and 4 fingerling/m², constituting the treatments t1 and t2, respectively. The fishes of the different treatments were ad libitum fed an extruded commercial diet containing 42% crude protein, at 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. at each 30 days, the water volume of all tanks was 100% replaced. at the end of the experiment, 120 days, the fishes productive performance was evaluated by means of survival rate, feed:gain ratio and daily length and weight gains. average survival rates of 86.7 and 96.7% were observed for the stocking rates of 1 and 4 fish/m², respectively. feed:gain ratio of 1.6 and 1.2 and daily length and weight gains of .70 and .38 g and 8.01 and 7.27 cm, respectively, were obtained for both densities. these values did not differ from each other. it was concluded that it is viable to produce the trairao fingerlings, under the evaluated stocking rates, without reducing performance.
Hoplias cf. lacerdae; stocking rates; trairão
