Abstract
The pellet size of the diet can affect both fish growth performance and the water quality of the rearing units. The present work assessed the effects of feeding juvenile Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (L.) a small crumbled diet (SCD; 0.8 mm) on water quality and growth performance. Fish were reared for six weeks in twenty 250-L polyethylene outdoor tanks at a density of 10 juveniles tank -1 (40 fish m -3 ). There were two feeding rates (standard and restricted) and two types of artificial fish diet (powdered and SCD). The standard feeding rates were reduced by 30% for restricted feeding. The concentrations of free CO2, reactive phosphorus, total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) and nitrite were higher in the full-fed tanks relative to the restricted-fed tanks. In the standard feeding rate groups, those tanks fed SCD had lower TAN and nitrite concentrations than tanks fed a powdered diet. The final body weight and specific growth rate of fish fed a restricted SCD were higher than the full-fed tanks. The higher levels of food waste in the powdered-diet tanks lead to impairment of fish growth performance.
Highlights
The feeding management during second phase culture of tilapia, after sexual reversion, significantly affects fish growth, survival and feeding efficiency
The present study assessed the effects of feeding juvenile Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (L.) a restricted small crumbled diet (SCD) on water quality and growth performance
The 0.8-mm SCD only had a significant effect on the concentration of total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) and nitrite (p ≤ 0.05)
Summary
The feeding management during second phase culture of tilapia, after sexual reversion, significantly affects fish growth, survival and feeding efficiency. The use of good quality artificial rations is as important as natural food for achieving desired growth performance (BAMBA et al, 2007). Santiago et al (1987) recommended the use of small granular feed called crumble instead of unpelleted feed for tilapia from the fry stage and beyond. Fish producers generally feed tilapia a powdered diet until they reach. If the use of small crumbled diets (SCD) is shown to be advantageous it may become more commonly used among tilapia producers. The present study assessed the effects of feeding juvenile Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (L.) a restricted SCD on water quality and growth performance
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