Operational efficiency of feeding in Mud Crab fattening culture

Mud crabs (Scylla serrata) are highly valued aquaculture commodities in the international market. However, feeding operations in mud crab culture using a Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) are often inefficient, increasing labor time and operational costs. This study aimed to evaluate the operational efficiency of feeding S. serrata once, twice, and three times per day by assessing production performance and conducting a business analysis in a RAS apartment system. A completely randomized design was used with three feeding frequency treatments (one, two, and three times daily), each with three replicates. Parameters observed included survival rate, absolute weight gain, carapace length and width growth, molting frequency and percentage, feed consumption, feed conversion ratio (FCR), feed utilization efficiency, and labor efficiency. Results showed that feeding frequency had no significant effect on survival rate, growth parameters, molting performance, or feed utilization efficiency. However, feeding twice per day produced the highest profit (IDR 5,342,008) and a labor efficiency of 1.08%. These findings indicate that feeding twice daily optimizes both biological performance and economic returns in mud crab fattening using a RAS apartment system.