Rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss
Introduction: The rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) is a species of salmonids native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America.
In 1989, the species name Oncorhynchus mykiss became the scientific name of the rainbow trout while the anadromous forms of the coastal rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss irideus) or redband trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss gairdneri) are commonly known as steelhead.
Rainbow trout is a hardy fish, fast growing, tolerant to a wide range of environments and handling. The species can withstand vast ranges of temperature variation (0-27 °C). However, the optimum water temperature for their culture is below 21 °C.
Typically, the lifespan of rainbow trout is
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The weight average of rainbow trout is about 3kg while individuals of rainbow trout can reach much heavier weights.
Feeding habits: Rainbow trout are predators with varied diets depending on their life stages and availability of their natural diets. When they are young, rainbow trout will feed on small organisms such as zooplankton, and as they grow they feed on larval, pupal and adult forms of aquatic insects. They also eat fish eggs, small fish, crustaceans, mollusks, and insects. In vegetated habitats, rainbow trout often have the opportunity to eat terrestrial insects that fall into the water such as ants, beetles, and crickets.
The prey of rainbow trout may include small fish up to one-third of their length, crayfish, shrimp, and other crustaceans; but their most important food is freshwater shrimp, containing the carotenoid pigments responsible for the orange-pink color in trout flesh. They may also consume decomposing flesh from carcasses of other
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Many of the introduced trout resulted in the disturbance of local ecosystems through the competition with or preying upon indigenous fishes. Rainbow trout has been blamed for driving many native species into extinction or endangerment. They have eradicated frog species and threatened many native fish species in a variety of environments, such as the Californian golden trout and humpback chub in the Grand Canyon. As established, eliminating or diminishing aquatic species in a given habitat can have drastic impacts on the entire