Performance Characteristics and Feed Utilization of African Cat Fish (Clarias gariepinus) Fed Varying Inclusion Levels of Fermented Mulberry Leaf

Abstract

A laboratory experiment was carried out, for 54 days, to evaluate the effects of diet, containing different levels of fermented mulberry (Morus alba S54) leaf meal (MLM) as dietary protein sources for replacing fish meal protein, on the growth performance, feed utilization and survival of Clarias gariepinus juveniles. Five iso-nitrogenous (30%) experimental diets were prepared at various levels of MLM inclusion of 0%, 10%, 20%, 30% and 40% designated as diets A, B, C, D and E respectively. The final weight gain, daily weight gain, percentage weight gain of the fish fed diets A, B and C were not significantly different (P<0.05) from one another, but these were significantly different (P>0.05) compared to fish fed with diets D and E. The specific growth rate (SGR) and food conversion ratio (FCR) of the fish fed the trial diets were however, not significantly different (P<0.05) from one another. The present findings show that MLM diets, replacing 20% fishmeal (FM) protein, is a good potential protein source, in terms of survival rate (SR), feed conversion ratio (FCR) and specific growth rate (SGR). The use of fermented mulberry (Morus alba) leaf meal of up to 20% level, is without adverse effects on the growth of Clarias gariepinus juveniles.

Key words: Catfish, growth, mulberry, sericulture, survival.   Manuscript reviewed by: 1. Prof. Adel Shatta Food Technology Department,Faculty of Agriculture,Suez Canal University Ismailia, 41522,Egypt. 2. Dr. Filiz KUTLUYER Tunceli University, Fisheries Faculty,62000, Tunceli, Turkey. 3. Prof. Dr. Rauquírio Marinho da Costa Laboratório de Plâncton e Cultivo de Microalgas (LPCM) Instituto de Estudos Costeiros (IECOS) Campus Universitário de Bragança (CABRA) Universidade Federal do Pará (UFPA) 4. Dr.Thaís Castelo-Branco Aquaculture biotechnology, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Laboratório de Tecnologia em Aquicultura, CEP: 52171-900 - Recife/PE, Brazil. 5. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Chee Kong Yap Ecotoxicology; Environmental Biology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.

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 Received: April 13, 2016  Accepted: April 21, 2016  Published: May 2, 2016

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