Abstract
The current study was carried out to assess the effects of aqueous extract of yucca, Yucca schidigera (YE) and/or yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, used as water additives on the performance of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus. Fish (28–32 g) were randomly situated in 12 2-m3 concrete ponds at a density of 20 fish per m3 and assigned to four treatments in triplicates where the control ponds were not received any additive (the control) as well as ponds received YE only, yeast only, or both YE + yeast. YE and/or yeast were added daily to ponds water at levels of 1.0 g YE/m3 and/or 1.0 g yeast/m3 for 8 weeks. Neither water temperature nor dissolved oxygen were significantly affected by YE and/or yeast treatment; but pH and NH3 levels were significantly reduced (P < 0.05) by these water additives especially at the YE + yeast treatment. The growth performance of Nile tilapia was significantly improved (P < 0.05) by these water additives and highest growth performance was observed in fish treated with YE + yeast. In contrast, YE and/or yeast treatments did not affect levels of glucose, alanine aminotransferase, and alkaline phosphatase. However, levels of serum total lipids, total protein, albumin, and globulin were higher (P < 0.05) in fish treated with YE + yeast than those observed in the control fish. Adding YE and/or yeast to ponds water significantly decreased levels of aspartate aminotransferase, uric acid, and creatinine (P < 0.05) in fish, especially with the YE + yeast treatment. In addition, significant higher activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase, with significant lower malondialdehyde value, were observed in fish treated with YE + yeast (P < 0.05). Overall, these results suggest that using 1.0 g/L of both YE + yeast as water additives improved water quality by reducing pH and ammonia levels, which appears to improve the fish growth and reduce the oxidative stress in Nile tilapia.
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