Effect of different commercial feeds on growth and survival of African catfish Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822)

Abstract

Clarias gariepinus fingerlings with mean weight 10.63±0.25 g were fed five different commercial diets for eight weeks to determine the most suitable and efficient feed for growth and survival under controlled environmental conditions. The diets used were Multi feed, Ajanla feed, Vital feed, Coppens feed and ARAC feed. Ten fingerlings of the species were weighed and stocked in each tank. Final mean weights of 49.73±9.82, 37.80±5.19, 30.00±3.69, 64.51±13.31, 31.00±6.49 g and final mean lengths of 19.93±0.90, 17.67±0.61, 16.93± 0.60, 21.00±1.37 and 17.73±1.25 cmwere recorded for Multi, Ajanla, Vital, Coppens and ARAC feeds respectively. There was good survival rate in all the treatments. Water quality parameters were monitored within the documented range. Fish fed with Coppens feed had the best performance followed by Multi feed and then vital feed. The lowest growth rate was observed in fish fed with Ajanla feed though there was no significant difference in growth between fish fed with Ajanla and ARAC feed (P>0.05). Best performance observed in fish fed with Coppens feed could be as a result of inclusion of phosphorus and higher dose of vitamin C supplement in the feed.

Key Words: Aquaculture, nutrition, Clarias gariepinus, growth parameters