Abstract:
This study was conducted to systematically evaluate the effects of different stocking densities of triangle sail mussel (
Hyriopsis cumingii) on water quality parameters and the growth performance of co-cultured organisms in polyculture ponds with Chinese mitten crab (
Eriocheir sinensis). The experiment was carried out from May to October 2023 at Kaijiang Minsheng Fisheries Development Co., Ltd., with a total culture period of 136 days. Three experimental treatments with varying
Hyriopsis cumingii densities (A: 9 000 ind./hm
2, B: 12 000 ind./hm
2, and C: 15 000 ind./hm
2) were established in ponds stocked with
Eriocheir sinensis (12 000 ind./hm
2), bighead carp (
Aristichthys nobilis, 300 ind./hm
2), and silver carp (
Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, 250/hm
2), while a control group (D) without
Hyriopsis cumingii was set up for comparison. During the experimental period, key growth indicators of cultured organisms (body size, survival rate, yield) and water quality parameters were monitored regularly. The results showed that increasing
Hyriopsis cumingii stocking density was negatively correlated with the final body size and survival rate of the mussels. Specifically, the low-density group (A) had a significantly lower
Hyriopsis cumingii yield than the medium (B) and high-density (C) groups (
p<0.05). Regarding
Eriocheir sinensis, both male and female individuals in all experimental groups (A, B, C) exhibited significantly smaller average body sizes and lower yields compared to the control group (D) (
p<0.05), whereas no significant difference in survival rate of
Eriocheir sinensis was observed among all treatments (
p>0.05). In contrast, the growth parameters (body weight gain, survival rate, yield) of bighead carp and silver carp remained stable across all experimental and control groups, with no statistically significant differences (
p>0.05). In terms of water quality improvement, polyculture of
Hyriopsis cumingii significantly enhanced water transparency in all experimental groups compared to the control. The high-density group (C) showed the lowest levels of dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), electrical conductivity (EC), total phosphorus (TP), and phosphate (PO
43−-P). Notably, the medium-density group (B) achieved optimal water quality status, with significantly lower concentrations of ammonium nitrogen (NH
4+-N), total nitrogen (TN), chemical oxygen demand (COD
Mn), nitrite (NO
2−-N), and nitrate (NO
3−-N) compared to the high-density group (C) (
p<0.05). Results suggest that a
Hyriopsis cumingii stocking density of 12 000 ind./hm
2 provides optimal conditions, significantly reducing key water quality parameters (NH
4+-N, NO
2−-N, PO
43−-P, TN, TP, COD
Mn) while maximizing overall production under these experimental conditions.