Journal of Aquaculture Research & Development

Abstract

Growth Performance of the Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L.) Fed Different Types of Diets Formulated from Varieties of Feed Ingredients

Kassaye Balkew Workagegn, Elias Dadebo Ababboa, Girma Tilahun Yimer and Tigist Ashagre Amare

This research was designed to investigate the growth performance and feed utilization efficiency of juvenile Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus L. fed different types of diets formulated from varieties of feed ingredients. For this purpose, six experimental diets were prepared. All the six experimental diets had soybean, bone meal and groundnut as basal feed ingredients which accounted as 60% of the total amount of ingredients. The rest 40% of each diet was 1Maiz:1Sorghumfor control diet or diet “A”, coffee husk/pulp for diet “B”, wheat bran for diet “C”, beer sludge for diet “D”, potato scrap for diet “E” and 2JCKM:1Wheat:1Rice for diet “F”. After diet preparation, one hundred eighty fish having an average body weight of 3.27 g were randomly distributed into 18 aquaria (80 cm×30 cm×35 cm) in triplicates. During the experiment, the fish were fed three times a day at the rate of 10% of their body weight for 10 weeks. The results revealed that there was significant difference (p<0.05) on the growth performance and feed utilization efficiency of the fish that fed different types of experimental diets. The highest growth performance in terms of final body weight, weight gain and specific growth rate, and feed utilization efficiency were observed on the fish fed diet “A” followed by the fish fed diet “F”, while the fish fed diet “B” had the lowest. The lower growth performance and feed utilization efficiency observed on the fish fed diet “B” might be due to high dietary fiber levels together with the presence of relatively higher anti-nutritional factors in coffee husk/pulp diet. However, all the fish had similar survival rate. As conclusion, except diet “B” all the tested diets are potential fish feed. However, further study should be done to evaluate the potential of those diets at later stage of the fish in different culture systems.