Reproduction and development of the Amazon puffer Colomesus asellus in captivity

To induce breeding of the freshwater pufferfish Colomesus asellus, artificial maturation by hormone injection (hCG, 10 IU per gram) and insemination were performed, and subsequent development observed. The rearing environment for the parental fish was freshwater, maintained at 26.0 ± 1.5 ℃ under L12：D12 lighting cycle. Two hormone treatments were applied, one month apart, to two females and four males, ovulation being confirmed 47 hours after the second treatment. Three hundred and sixty-three and 548 eggs with a mean diameter of 1.11 mm (n = 20) were collected from the two females, 334 (92.0 %) and 395 (72.1 %) being fertilized, respectively. The larvae and juveniles were fed with S-type Brachionus sp. fortified initially with freshwater chlorella, followed by Artemia larvae and Chironomid sp. larvae. The pufferfish were reared in a salinity of 7 ‰ for 24 days after hatching, the water then being gradually changed to freshwater over the following 10 days. Two individuals survived for 225 days after hatching, growing to average standard and total lengths of 29.24 mm and 38.72 mm, respectively. The Gonperz growth formulae were as follows：SL：Lt = 29.4075×exp (-exp (-0.02301(t-39.1213))) TL：Lt = 38.51177×exp (-exp (-0.023253(t-41.25841))) Further investigations of rearing conditions, such as salinity, are required to improve the breeding techniques for this species.