Dietary Red Amaranth Flour Enhances Growth of Sand Lobster (Panulirus homarus) Seedings

Abstract

Sand lobster (Panulirus homarus) is an export commodity that increases annually. To increase production, lobster farming is carried out by maximizing feed combined with spinach to optimize feed absorption. The study aims to analyze the effect of spinach in moist feed on lobster growth and survival. The research was conducted from June to August 2025, located in Ekas Bay, Ekas Buana Village, Jerowaru District, East Lombok Regency, West Nusa Tenggara. The research method used a completely randomized design, with 5 treatments and 3 replicates. The treatments in the study were moist feed (A), moist feed + 4% red spinach flour (B), moist feed + 8% red spinach flour (C), moist feed + 10% red spinach flour (D), and moist feed + 12% red spinach flour (E). The lobsters were kept in 25-liter compartments suspended on a 2-meter-deep KJA frame at a density of 10 lobsters per compartment and were maintained for 54 days. The research parameters were absolute weight and length growth, SGR, and SR. The results showed that spinach flour supplementation had a significant effect on weight and length growth as well as SGR, but no significant effect on SR. The best growth was observed in the 4% spinach flour treatment (B), which produced weight and length growth of 1.50 g and 1.78 cm, SGR of 0.73%/h, and SR of 88.9%. Meanwhile, the absolute weight and length growth of the control treatment (A) was 0.98 g and 0.91 cm, with an SGR of 0.52%/h and an SR of 72.2%.