Advance Journal of Food Science and Technology 7(9): 668-675, 2015 DOI:10.19026/ajfst.7.1625 ISSN: 2042-4868; e-ISSN: 2042-4876 © 2015 Maxwell Scientific Publication Corp. Submitted: May ‎09, ‎2014 Accepted: December‎ ‎18, ‎2014 Published: March 25, 2015 Research Article Biological Characteristics and Propagative Technologies of Rhodeus sinensis Quan Wang and Xiaojiang Chen Jiangsu Agri-animal Husbandry Vocational College, Taizhou City, 225300, Jiangsu Province, China Abstract: Aim of study on biological characteristics and propagative technologies of Rgodeous sinensis is of great significance to rationally utilizing its resource, protecting the species, improving the benefit of aquaculture. Research contents comprise biological characteristics, living habits, propagative habits, the source of its parent fish, rearing of parent fish and spawning via artificial estrus and incubation. It is discovered that the main point for propagating Rhodeus sinensis lies in identification of the parent fish of Rhodeus sinensis, appropriate proportion among males and females, employment of odinagogue, appropriate selection of categories and specifications of freshwater mussels. Keywords: Biological characteristics, freshwater mussel, propagative techniques, Rhedeus sinensis INTRODUCTION Dissolved Oxygen (DO) content is more than 6 mg/L. The Rhodeus sinensis with body mass of (1.13±0.32) g Rhodeus sinensis which is a kind of famous that belongs to natural population captured from protogenic aquarium fish in China belongs to the riverway of Taizhou City, LiXiahe Area of Jiangsu Rhodeus category, Acheilognathinae subfamily, province. The early temporary culture adopted natural Cyprinidae of Cypriniformes, it is a kind of widely food chironomidae larvae (red worm) and the distributed and tiny fish among respective river systems tubificidae, then gradually changed into basic mixed in China, especially along the Yangtze River system. feed, siphon faeces, food residue etc. The healthy This kind of fish is featured with beautiful colors and individuals shall be selected as the experimental fishes. graceful body contour, thus can be cultivated for ornamentation and has become a kind of well-known Morphology index measurement and fecundity protogenetic ornamental fish in China. With living determination: Adopt digital calliper to measure the conditions being improved continuously, more and morphometrics of Rhodeus sinensis and then analyzed more people are demanding for ornamental fishes, its feeding habits. Observe the batches of oviposition, people’s demand for Rhedeus sinensis is also steadily fecundity per batch and total fecundity according to one increasing, whereas, it is relatively difficult to meet female to one male paired. The batches of oviposition such demand by way of fishing from the wild, which was shortened to one time with every extension on the makes it imperative to cultivate Rhodeus sinensis ovipositor of female fishes, then examine and verify the through artificial breeding, therefore, propagative egg output, record for one time. According to the techniques have become the foremost task to be number of fish eggs and fry spitted by mussel or the researched and solved. number of eggs counted by dissecting the mussel, the This study summarized the research of the number of eggs per batch can be ascertained to reproductive biology and artificial breeding of Rhodeus calculate the total number of eggs. sinensis. It to be used as reference for the extensive group of bitterling breeding enthusiasts. The selectivity of mussel: Three kinds of mussels: Anodonta woodiana, Unio douglasiae and Cristaria MATERIALS AND METHODS plicata captured from the riverway in Xiahe Area of Jiangsu province be put into the aquarium at the same The collection and feeding of material fish: The time. After the completion of every batch of experiment was conducted in 1.0×0.6×0.5 m glass oviposition, inspect to ascertain whether exist egg in aquarium with no mud in tank bottom, still water under those three mussels, then record its number of eggs. normal temperature, regular water exchange to keep Further, to judge the selectivity of Rhodeus sinensis’s well quality, feeding water as Yangtze River water, pH egg on those three common mussels as well as other 7.2~7.6, hardness of water is about 120 mg/L and ones with different sizes. Corresponding Author: Xiaojiang Chen, Department of Aquatic Science and Technology, Jiangsu Agri-animal Husbandry Vocational College, Taizhou City, 225300, Jiangsu Province, China, Tel.:+86-0523-86356598 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (URL: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). 668 Adv. J. Food Sci. Technol., 7(9): 668-675, 2015 Reproductive behavior observation: To treat the Table 1: Analysis of feeding habits of Rhodeus sinensis experimental fish in the following methods for Food category Frequency for food occurrence Qauatic higher plant debris +++ observation at the coming of mating season: Oscillatoria sp. ++ Crustacean + Microcystis sp. + • One female, one male, put into mussel Zygnema sp. + • One female, 2~6 male, put into mussel Spirogyra sp. +++ • Two female, two male, do not put into mussel Synedra sp. + Amphora sp. ++ • Two female, no male, put into mussel Scenedesmus sp. +++ • Two females, no male, do not put into mussel Tribonema sp. +++ Cosmarium sp. ++ Cladophora sp. ++ The observation on swimming time of fry from Visual inspect the congesting degree of its intestines and stomach, mussel: The mussel with Rhodeus sinensis egg was fed classification standard with 4 grades will be adopted for singly, record the oviposition data and the mussel’s discrimination of satiation degree; Add water in the contents contained within the digestive tracts and made them into smears; Put swimming time, then observe the growth characteristics such smears under microscope in order to discriminate the food of fry at the time of swimming. The experimental category; Occurrence frequency should also be recorded observation lasted from October to the following October. Record the various physicochemical indexes comparing with males, ovipositor can be observed to be and data every day during the experimental period. reaching out of its abdomen. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Living habits: Rhodeus sinensis is broadly distributed in a lot of water areas, such as Amur River, Yellow Biological characteristics of Rhodeus sinensis: River, Yangtz River and the Pearl River. This kind of Primary characteristics: Rhodeus sinensis is featured fish inhabits at the underlayer of the shallow water area with compressiform, tiny head, with mouth terminal, of lakes, reservoir and rivers, they prefer swarm swimming within water body with relatively slow without barbel, incomplete lateral line, there are 3-4 fluidity and lush aquatic plants. Rhodeus sinensis is a scales in its front side, it has one row of pharyngeal kind of omnivore fish, mainly living on algae and teeth, 5/5; the teeth surface is smooth, there are dimples organic detritus (Table 1), sometimes on aquatic plants on the surface of the pharyngeal teeth; its bladder has and higher plants (Zhang et al., 2010, 2001). This kind two compartments, the rear one is relatively larger than of fish usually gather together into a group within their the other one, 9-11 fin rays are distributed along the alevin stage, most of them live a kind of swimming life entire dorsal fin area, 10-12 fin rays are distributed by resting at the edges of aquatic plants near the river along the entire anal fin area, zigzagging number of its banks or at the upper water area without aquatic plant intestines is around 2.2~2.8, number for its gill raker is near the river banks; at the end of the alevin stage, those around 6-8; length of the digestive tract is about fishes would perform various kinds of swimming along 1.0~1.58 times of its body length. Body size of this fish the aquatic plant area, plain swimming, slanting is usually small, the largest body size is usually not swimming, rotating swimming and sideway jumping more than 8 cm, such silver blue longitudinal band swimming can be witnessed, which are beneficial for along its body center extends as far as the rear side of escaping from enemies and acting; juvenile fishes and the dorsal fin origin. adult fishes prefer to live at the underlayer of the water Body color of male Rhodeus sinensis with in the area. Water area with temperature limited within mating season is relatively more bright than usual, the 4~35°C, dissolving oxygen capacity limited in 4.0~8.3 red halo around the eyes and the red spots around the mg/L and pH value limited within 6.8~7.5 is suitable tail are darker, silver blue dots appear around the rear for habitation of Rhodeus sinensis. upper side of its spiracle, those longitudinal strips along the tail fin center present orange red, besides, both the Breeding habits: The Rhodeus sinensis reaches sexual front outer fringe of the dorsal fin and the anal fin maturity when they are growing to 1 year old, most of present red, no fin rays are generated around the pelvic the male and female Rhodeus sinensis with sexual fin area, the entire fin shows oyster white color, black maturity are 3-5 cm in body length and weigh 1.4-2.1 g. color is dotted at the outer edge of the anal fin, beard Breeding period is limited within February to October spots can be observed on the rostral side and with water temperature around 12.6~22.3°C, starting supraorbital area. Whereas, female Rhodeus sinensis is and ending of their spawning are probably caused by featured by tiny body, bumped belly, black dots can be rising water temperature in Spring time and shortening observed on the dorsal fin of a female Rhodeus sinensis of photoperiod in Autumn time (Asahina and Hanyu, with sexual maturity, body color of females is lighter 1983). Spawning high season is usually in April to June 669 Adv.