Substitution Of Fishmeal With Solidstate Fermented Tigernut Meal And Its Effect On The Growth Performances, Gonads And Gut Histology Of African Catfish (Clarias Gariepinus)

ABSTRACT

Protein is most expensive part of fish feed and major part of fish food item is fish meal. High cost of fish meal is a major driving force increasing cost of fish production. Consequently there is a need to reduce fish meal content of the feed, plant proteins are plausible alternative and contains ANF and some are low in protein content. Solid Fermentation reduce the ANF and increase protein content of the meal. We made six diets labelled as feed 1 (F1) to feed 6 (F6). The feeds varied in composition of fishmeal (FM) with Solidstate fermented tigernut meal (SFTM), as: F1, 10:25, F2, 15:20, F3, 20:15, F4, 25:10 with  two control diets F5 (0% FM: 35%SFTM) and F6 (35% FM: 0% SFTM). The diets were fed to Clarias gariepinus distributed into three replicate aquaria at 10s fish per aquarium. Feed 2 (F2) had the best specific growth rate (SGR, 2.44±0.17% day-1),  final weight (91.07±2.41), protein efficiency ratio (0.44±0.01),  and weight gain(86.06±2.41) while F4 was the least with the lowest value, final weight (43.90±11.44), daily feed intake (1.40±0.47), specific growth rate (1.18±0.50), protein efficiency ratio (0.22±0.06) and  weight gain (38.9±11.4).  F4 had the highest value in food conversion ratio (2.42±1.46), protein conversion ratio (0.97±0.59) while F2 was least in food conversion ratio (1.22±0.08), and protein conversion ratio (0.5±0.03). F2 is generally accepted because the inclusion has no negative effect on the growh performances, gonads and gut histology of the fish