Effects of breeding density, feeding cycle, and light environment on the artificial culture of Poecilobdella manillensis

To provide a scientific basis for artificial culture, the effects of different breeding densities, feeding cycles, and light environments on the growth regulation of Poecilobdella manillensis were studied. After P. manillensis were cultured at breeding densities of 250 ~ 3250 leeches m-2; feeding cycles of 2 ~ 16 days; and a light environment with noise or a light-free environment without noise, the weight gain rate (RWG), specific growth rate (SGR), feed conversion rate (FCR), and total content of the effective component (TCEC) were measured for 64 days. The results showed that the RWG and SGR presented the same growth indexes, which decreased with the increase in breeding density and the lengthening of the feeding cycle. In the light environment, the RWG and SGR of P. manillensis were lower than in the dark environment. The TCEC of groups 2 d and 4 d were significantly higher than in the other feeding cycle experiment groups. From these results, we advise that the optimal breeding density for artificial culture is 1750 leeches m-2 and the feeding cycle is 4 days; in the dark and quiet environment, P. manillensis grew better.