A simulation model on the optimization time for the sudden weaning of angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare)

In the aquaculture production chain, a weaning is a process in larval rearing where the tiny fish larvae are separatedly fed with nutritious food in order to grow well. Live feed, for example feeding Artemia nauplii into angelfish larvae (Pteraphylum Scalare), is generally considered as the most suitable food for first feeding larvae. In practice, the fish farmer could replace the life feed with a formulated feed, which is sold commercially in the store. By experiments conducted by Herath et al (2013), the effect of sudden weaning of angelfish from Artemia sp. to formulated feed is observed with the change in weight of fish during the observation periods. In this paper, we construct a mathematical model describing the growth in weight of fish during this sudden weaning process using logistic model based on data from Herath et al (2013). The resulted model is solved numerically. Furthermore using this model, we consider the production cost of live feed in order to determine the optimal time to wean angelfi...