<![CDATA[Optimizing species combinations is essential for enhancing the Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) system for milkfish, especially in brackish water involving paddy plants. This research examines the percentage weight gain (PWG), daily weight gain (DWG), profitability, and benefit-cost (B/C) ratio of milkfish farming within the IMTA-Paddy system using three treatments with three replication: T1 (milkfish and paddy), T2 (milkfish, tiger prawns, and paddy), and T3 (milkfish, tiger prawns, mussels, and paddy) within a completely randomized design model. Thirty individuals of each aquatic species were stocked per tarpaulin pond along with 30 clumps of floating paddy. Milkfish were fed commercial feed three times daily over 80 days. Results showed that T3 had significantly higher body weight gain (BWG: 796.43%) and daily weight gain (DWG: 1.23 g/day) than T2 and T1. T3 also yielded the highest profit (IDR 89,483/kg) and benefit-cost ratio (BCR: 1.61), significantly outperforming T2 and T1. The inclusion of mussels, acting as an organic extractive species, contributed notably to the improved growth and economic performance of milkfish in T3. These findings underscore the importance of well-designed species integration in improving aquaculture productivity and sustainability, and provide a promising foundation for scaling up IMTA-Padi systems in brackish coastal areas of Indonesia.]]>
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