merged

Reproductive and physiological responses of gourami towards different
water pH
Loong Cha Kang
Supervisor: Dr Liew Hon Jung
Bachelor of Science in Agrotechnology (Aquaculture)
School of Fisheries and Aquaculture Science
Gourami is a labyrinth fish which can breathe atmospherically when dissolved oxygen
in water depleted. Gourami can be found naturally in Southeast Asia and contributing
to economy and ecology. With current environmental quality changing, gourami
experience fluctuation of water pH that threatening their life. Therefore, this study
was conducted to investigate the effect of water pH on physiological responses and
reproductive performances of gourami. Gourami were subjected to three different
water pH at acidic (5.0-5.5), neutral (7.0-8.5) and alkaline (9.0-9.5) for 5 weeks.
Respirometry assay was applied to evaluate physiological responses. Water pH
fluctuation either acidic or alkaline significantly increased feed intake, thus induced
high MO2 to support basal metabolic needs. Under acidic and alkaline conditions
significantly depleted spawning performance of gourami. As a remark, water pH
fluctuation had a negative impact to the growth and survival of gourami. Gourami is
more sensitive to acidic then alkaline and neutral pH.
550 | UMT UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH DAY 2018