Stomach Content and Food Habits of Freshwater Fish in the Huai Kho Reservoir, Na Chueak of District, Maha Sarakham Province, Thailand.

The objective of this study was to determine the stomach content and food habits of freshwater fish in the Huai Kho Reservoir. Fish specimens were collected on three separate occasions: April 2023 (summer), September 2023 (rainy season), and January 2024 (winter). Five fish species, Clarias batrachus, Channa striata, Puntius brevis, Oreochromis niloticus, and Oxyeleotris marmorata, were deliberately selected for their paramount economic value, critical ecological roles in the aquatic ecosystem, and markedly divergent feeding behaviors. The findings indicate that decapod crustaceans (shrimp/crab) emerged as the most conspicuous dietary group across all samples. Species-specific analysis showed the following predominant stomach contents: Clarias batrachus—Tubiflex worm (30 %); Channa striata—fish (36 %); Puntius brevis—macroalgae (69 %); Oreochromis niloticus—macroalgae (60 %); and Oxyeleotris marmorata—shrimp/crab (40 %). The study further revealed that the reservoir provides an ample natural food base, and 97.20 % of the intestinal tracts examined in all five species contained retained food material, signifying substantial dietary overlap among them.