ISSN: 2578-4994
Authors: Noah IT and Ekong EA*
The growth and survival of Clariasgariepinus larvae (0.18g) fed fishmeal and test feed was investigated for 5 weeks. Each diet was fed to 50 fry, in different experimental tanks. The specific growth rate, survival rate, mean weight gain and mean length gain were investigated. The specific growth rate were significantly different (P<0.05) for the various diets, while the final mean weight, final mean length and survival rate were significantly different (P<0.05) from each other. The highest specific growth rate (4.11 g), final weight (2.60g) and survival (62.0%) were recorded in fish fed test feed while the least growth was recorded in fish fed fishmeal with specific growth rate of 3.21g, final mean body weight of 1.46g and survival of 52%. The result indicated that there was an increase in body weight among the two diets. The highest mean length gain (4.69cm) was recorded in the fish fed test feed while the fish fed with fishmeal had a mean length gain of 4.06cm. The condition factor for Clariasgariepinus larvae fed with the test feed was the highest (0.86) while that of fishmeal was 0.61. It was therefore recommended that the test feed is a better diet for rearing Clariasgariepinus larvae due to its better growth performance and higher survival rate than fishmeal.
Keywords: Aquaculture; African Catfish; Fishmeal; Larvae; Test feed
