Enrichment of commercial feed with new formula products on the growth, yield, and mortality of the giant gourami Osphronemus goramy

Abstract

Background and objective: The giant gurami (Osphronemus goramy) is considered the most desirable freshwater species in Indonesia, mainly for food security. This study evaluated the effectiveness of newly formulated products containing water, coconut, palm sap sugar, and fungus used for enriched commercial feed and their impact on gurami sago’s (local strain) growth performance, yield, and mortality. Methods: A total of 100 g of palm sugar are cooked with 1,000 ml of freshwater for fifteen minutes at a temperature of 60 °C. Furthermore was added 2,000 ml of mature coconut water. For every 1,000 ml of a mixture of mature coconut water and palm sap sugar solution was added 2 g of Aspergillus niger (called product P1), 2 g of Rhizopus oligosporus (product P2), and 2 g of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (product P3). Commercial fish feed pellets enriched with P1, P2, and P3 were designated as P1, P2, and P3 diets. At the same time, the commercial feed added with freshwater is called P4 feed (placebo). The dosage of each product is 300 ml/kg of feed. Juvenile sago gourami (initial weight 50±2.5 g and total length 13.2±0.4 cm) were stocked in triplicate (0.5x0.5x0.5 m) in a freshwater concrete pond with a stocking density of 30 individuals. /net, an initial feeding rate of 3% per day for 90 days of the experiment. Results: The weight gain ranged from 172.43 to 215.6%, the specific growth rate increased from 0.60 and 0.75%/day. The coefficient of thermal growth increased from 27.26 to 32.83. At the same time, yield ranging from 14.88 to 21.03 g/L and mortality for 90 days of the experiment decreased from 22.22% to 6.66%. The coefficient of variation in weight was between 0.68% and 1.30%. Conclusion: Giant gourami juvenile survived and grew well in diet P2, moderate growth in diet P3, and diet P1; the lowest growth was recorded in diet P4.