A comparative study on effects of different artificial starter feeds on growth and survival of <i>Clarias gariepinus</i> fingerlings

Abstract

One thousand Clarias gariepinus fingerlings stocked at eighty fingerlings per tank were fed four types of artificial starter feeds: A (formulated starter feed, 45% crude protein (CP), B (Multi feed, 53% CP), C (Vital feed, 55% CP) and D (Aqua feed of 52% CP) and cultured for 30 days in twelve concrete tanks (1200 mm×1200 mm×1500 mm). Treatments were replicated three times, and fed at 5% body weight three times daily, under well monitored water parameters. There was no significance difference (p>0.05) in growth performance of C. gariepinus fingerlings. Multi feed recorded highest growth and percentage growth rate (PGR) in weight and length of 48.08 g (72.84%) and 16.60 cm (31.33%), followed by Aqua feed with 29.37 g (65.17%) and 14.88 cm (26.72%), Vital feed with 39.07 g (70.05%) and 15.04 cm (21.81%), formulated feed of 25.19 g (48.43%) and 11.40 cm (10.76%). Fingerlings fed Vital feed recorded highest survival count (77 survivors) and survival rate (96.25%), followed by formulated starter feed with 74 survivors (92.25%), Multi feed with 73 survivors (91.25%) and Aqua feed with 71 survivors (87.50%). Weight/length Correlation Coefficient (r) showed that Multi feed recorded highest (r) of 0.95, followed by Aqua feed (0.90), Vital feed (0.87) and formulated starter feed (87.50). C. gariepinus fingerlings need feeds of high CP at least 45% in their first 30 days of culture.

Key Words: Diets, water quality, stocking density, growth parameter, Clarias gariepinus