Climbing Perch

The climbing perch fishes are also known as walking fish. The scientific name of climbing perch is Anabas testudineus. This is one of the small Asian freshwater fish, which belongs to the family Anabantidae and order Perciformes. They have unique features to live and walk out of water. The climbing perch is known for its air-breathing labyrinth fish. The climbing perch fishes are in different colours like golden, brownish or green. They can grow up to a length of about 25cm. They can live in the ponds, ditches and can emerge for a short period of walking with a jerky motion. Tails and spines of the climbing perch on the lower edges of their gill cover supported for walking. 

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Migration of Climbing Perch 

The Indian climbing perch is an invasive freshwater fish that can crawl on the land and live without water for six days.  They can use their gills as lungs for support. The aggressive climbing perch is also known as the choke birds and other fish. They are the native species of Southeast Asia and they are widespread through Indonesia and Papua New Guinea and other parts of the earth. The golden climbing perch fishes are one of the popular waterway fishes on the Boigu, Saibai and two Queensland islands, which was situated seven miles away from the southern coast of Papua New Guinea and ninety-nine miles away from the northernmost tip of mainland Australia. So they will monitor mainland Australia.  

According to the researchers, Nathan Waltham a senior researcher at James Cook University found that, if the invasive fish reach the mainland during a major disaster the dead native fish species and other wetland dwellers like barramundi, catfish and some aquatic birds to provide the food for climbing perch during the absence of water.  The gills of the climbing perch can flex them to catch in the throats of fish and birds. The climbing perch can grow up to the maximum length of 9.8 inches. Some fishes can also hibernate into the mud of dried beds for up to six months. 

Characteristics of Climbing Perch 

The Indian climbing perch scale numbers are mentioned by Rahman, they have 9 to 11 scales below lateral lines and 15 to 16 scales till first dorsal line, 10 to 12 scales on second dorsal lines and they have 4 scales on lateral lines and 9 scales on below lateral lines.

Habitation and Reproduction 

The climbing perch fishes are inhibiting in fresh and brackish water and they are mostly in lakes, ponds, canals, ditches, haors, boars, floodplains and swamps, bottom dweller and insectivorous fish. Usually, the breeding season of the climbing perch fishes is falling in the month of April and continues till July. Their eggs are pelagic so they usually float on the surface of the water. Further, they get hatched at 28.5°C temperature. They can take 18 hours for hatching from the time of laying the eggs. 

Economic Importance 

Usually, the Indian climbing perch fishes are hard to fish for the fisheries. They are highly esteemed food fish for their fine flavour, restorative values and prolonged freshness out of water. These fishes are much suitable for cultivating in ponds, reservoirs and rice fields. This species is an important staple food for all the people throughout the country. This fish plays an important role in the inherent edible quality of their fresh flesh. 

Role of Climbing Perch in Ecology 

The major food source for the climbing perch is 10% of algae, 2% of muds and sands, 17% of higher plants, 3% of worms, 23% of protozoa, 30% of crustaceans and 15% of insects.  As the Indian climbing perch are the bottom dwellers and plays an important role in ecology. 

Steps to Cultivate Climbing Perch 

The climbing perch fishes are widely spread over in Asian countries. Two major Anabas species can majorly found in India are A. testudineus and A. oligolepis. The local or common names for A. testudineus are  Koi or Kavai, they have excellent value in the Indian market that to from the states of Assam, West Bengal, Manipur, Bihar and Tripura. Indian climbing perch fishes are air-breathing fishes and are potamodromous species. The climbing perch fishes can tolerate to live for about 22 to 300 degrees celsius. They can live in fresh and brackish water. These fishes can withstand even extremely unfavourable water conditions. So, many people showing interest to cultivate them in their farmland. They have additional importance like, they can survive in the moist land and even without water for few days. Also, they are recognized as the tastiest fish in the fish market. Further, IUCN kept golden climbing perch as the threatened species due to their over-exploitation. So, even they are encouraging artificial breeding for increasing the count of species across the country.

Broodstock Management

The Indian climbing perch fishes can attain the first maturity during the age of 1 and at that time they can measure about 8 to 10 cm in length and grow up to 15 to 20g of weight. This fish shows sexual dimorphism during the breeding season. The male fishes have a dark appearance on the longer dorsal fin while comparing to the female fishes. Usually, the breeding season of climbing perch falls between March to August, but they are peak during May and June. The male fishes show the reddish colour on the pectoral and ventral fin, diamond-shaped black spot on the caudal peduncle. Further, they will release white milt oozes, while gently pressing on the abdomen towards the genital pore. The matured females also have faint reddish pectoral and ventral fins, and the black spot is oblong and slightly diffused. Can get the oozing ova via genital papilla by gently pressing the abdomen of the matured female 

The sexually matured fish will gain weight of about 30 to 50 grams two to three months prior to breeding season. So, they can easily be identified and protected in the commercial pond, which was kept separate in cement cisterns. The quality of eggs, the health of fry completely depends 

on the health of the brood fish. 

The count of eggs, egg quality will indirectly affect the broodstock maintenance condition. Further, broodstock maintenance includes nutrition, ration, and environmental condition and stress factors that are developed during handling and spawning induction. While preparing an artificial pond for fish, it is important to periodically check and monitor the water quality parameters like chemical content in water, oxygen, pH and ammonia. It is necessary to provide supplementary feeds for brood fish for about 3 to 5% of their body weight per day. Also, the climbing perch fish required a natural source of feeds from better health during breeding. 

Artificial Propagation

The recommended breeding sex ratio in climbing perch is about 2:1. For administration, the preferable quantity of ovaprim can be injected into the male and female fishes through the intramuscular method. After 6hrs from injecting, the male fishes can wrap to the female fishes to fertilize their eggs. and they lay eggs. Usually, the Climbing perch fishes does not build a nest to protect the eggs like other anabantids. After fertilization, the female fishes will release a minimum of 4000 eggs and a maximum of 68000 eggs. Average productivity can be about 350 – 400 eggs/ g of body weight of fish.

Can differentiate the fertilized and unfertilized eggs through their colour. Usually, the fertilized eggs look transparent and unfertilized eggs look opaque. The average size of fertilized eggs is about .80 – 0.90 mm in diameter. When the water is hardened, the eggs start to float on the surface of the water. By using an FRP cistern, the fertilized eggs get incubated in stagnant water. The water temperature of about 28 – 32℃ is much suitable for hatching the eggs, and the hatching takes place after 18 to 22 hrs of injection. 

Fry’s Appearance  

The newly hatched climbing perch larva lengths are ranges from 1.6 – 2.0 mm. The yolk sac of fry will get completely absorbed in suitable water temperature within 96 hrs of post-hatchlings.  Usually, the mouths of larvae remain open for 28 hrs, and after 32 hrs their digestive tract gets fully developed, then they start to consume the rotifer.  The major feed for larvae is rotifer up to 10 dph.  At the age of 8 – 10 days, the larvae start to consume the rotifer and Moina. At the age of 11 days, they will consume only Moina. After 16 days the larvae start consuming artificial feeds. Can provide filtered plankton as feed for larvae. Also, groundnut cakes and rice can also provide for larvae. The larvae can rise up from the small size tanks indoor condition, with a water depth of 40 – 50 cm. 

Fingerlings

Once the larvae reached the fingerling stage, they can rear in a cement cistern with a minimum water depth of about 75cm. Growth variation prevails in this stage, due to differences in the consumption of food. Further, maximum care should be given to segregate shoot fry at regular intervals for better survival of fishes.

Culture in Pond

For the climbing perch culture, the smaller size pond of about 0.05 – 0.2 ha is preferable for the better growth of fishes. The basic structure and formula for pond preparation and fertilization in enough for culturing the fishes in the pond. Usually, the golden climbing perch fishes will walk from one pond to another during the rainy season. So, maintaining the edges of ponds at 75° is preferable to prevent fish escapement. Further, the fingerlings will come to the surface of the water for inhaling atmospheric air. So, there is a chance for birds to catch them. The bird fencing can be used to avoid such losses.  

Generally, the supplementary feeds of about 3 to 5 per cent of their body weight are predominant for achieving better growth. Monitoring the water parameters can help to attain the marketable size fishes in a year. The harvest of fish can be done by completely draining out the water. 

Culture in Tank

For culturing the golden climbing perch fishes, cement cisterns are preferable. Here, the fishes cannot attempt to escape from the tank. Offering soil base of about 15-20 cm in the cement cisterns help them for maintaining health condition and enhancing the growth of fish. Can cover the taking surface with aquatic plants like hyacinth and Pistia to provide a natural environment to fishes. Can drop 5g of fingerlings in the tank with the density of 65 – 70 nos/m2. They also required supplementary food for attaining proper growth. 

Culture in Cage

The climbing perch fishes can also grow in cages of size 3m x 2m x 1.5m, they may have the stocking density of 550 nos/cage. The fished in cages natural feeds in addition to the supplementary feeds such as finely soaked freshwater dry fish, which can offer to achieve required growth rate. A fish culturing in the cage can grow with an average weight of 62 g in 4 months.  Climbing perch fishes can practice under monoculture and polyculture conditions through cage culture. The requires different stock densities for monoculture and polyculture. So, it is important to maintain it for better growth.