Provision of suitable live feed is the bottleneck in rearing larvae of
this fish. Culture performance of larval snakehead was examined in the present study by feeding them with cladocerans
(Ceriodaphnia cornuta, Moina micrura and Daphnia carinata) and Artemia nauplii as individual and mixed cladoceran diet
(C. cornuta, M. micrura and D. carinata) for four weeks. Fish fed Artemia nauplii, C. cornuta and mixed cladocerans showed
higher weight gain (15.88±0.11 mg), (9.72±0.04 mg) and (10.0±0.06 mg) respectively during the Ist week. Fish fed C. cornuta
and M. micrura showed better weight gain (12.88±0.21 mg) and (11.90±0.09 mg) respectively during the 2nd week. Fish fed
on mixed cladocerans showed better survival and growth with less cannibalism in the last three weeks. Fish fed Artemia
nauplii showed less growth and more cannibalism during the last two weeks. It is concluded that C. striatus larvae could be
fed cladocerans both individually as well as in mixed preparation during their early life stages. The nauplii of the brine shrimp
Artemia which are extensively used in hatcheries are exotic and highly priced resulting in higher cost of seed production. Use
of cladocerans for early larval rearing of C. striatus will reduce the expenditure for seed production. It is also observed that
with the increase in age and growth, the fish prefers large sized prey than the smaller ones. Cannibalism can be reduced at
different stages by providing prey of suitable size to the growing fish.