Abstract
Marble goby Oxyeleotris marmoratus is an important aquaculture freshwater (FW) species in Southeast Asia. To improve hatching technique, eggs from a river population in Sabah, Malaysia were incubated in FW and seawater (SW) diluted to 5, 10, 15, 20 and 30 psu, comparing hatching rates and larval deformation. Egg development, hatching rates, hatching periods, larval deformation and survival at 10 days after fertilization (dAF) were then compared in FW and 10 psu SW. Salinities from FW to 15 psu SW were tolerated, with the highest hatching observed at 10 psu SW (60.0±2.0%, mean±SD). Significantly higher hatching rates and lower deformation rates were observed at 10 psu SW than in FW. In FW, embryonic developed at similar rate with 10 psu SW, but hatching was delayed and all larvae died by 10 dAF. Peak of hatching in 10 psu SW observed in 48-60 hours after fertilization (hAF) (33.1±5.6%) while hatching in FW was delayed and peaked 72-84 hAF (10.6±3.4%). Larvae that hatched later had higher deformation rates. The eggs incubated in 10 psu SW had a shorter hatching period, higher hatching rate and better larval survival than those in FW.
