Effect of Using Fern Leaf Extract (Diplazium esculentum) in Raw Fish Feed on Growth and Feed Conversion Ratio of Mud Crab (Scylla serrata)

Abstract

Mangrove crab or known as Scylla sp. is one of the biota whose habitat is in coastal waters, especially in mangrove forest areas. The need for mangrove crabs still largely relies on natural catches that are fluctuating. For this reason, it is necessary to cultivate mangrove crabs in a controlled manner that can support an effective, efficient and economically profitable mangrove crab farming business. Cultivation can increase mangrove crab production to meet domestic and foreign market demand. An alternative that can be chosen for mangrove crab cultivation is an apartment system that is arranged vertically in the form of a storage rack. The water medium used in this apartment system cultivation uses a recirculation system. One of the efforts to accelerate the growth of crabs is by using steroid hormones. Ecdysteroid is the main steroid hormone that has the main function as a skin replacement hormone. In addition, this hormone also regulates physiological functions, such as growth, metamorphosis, and reproduction. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the effect of using fern leaf extract (Diplazium esculentum) in raw fish feed with different doses on growth and feed conversion ratio in mud crabs. This research method uses a field experimental method with a completely randomized design (CRD) consisting of 5 treatments and 3 replicates with different percentage doses, namely: PA: Percentage of 0 ml/Kg, PB: Percentage of 100 ml/Kg, PC: Percentage of 125 ml/Kg, PD: Percentage of 150 ml/Kg, PE: 175 ml/Kg percentage. The results showed that the use of fern leaf extract in mangrove crab (Scylla serrata) feed had a significant effect on the growth of absolute weight, Absolute Length, SGR (Specific Growth Rate) and FCR (Feed Conversion Ratio) where the most influential treatment was treatment E which was the highest dose of 175 ml/Kg. This indicates that treatment E is the best dose treatment for growth and feed conversion ratio of mud crab (Scylla serrata).