Abstract
Catfish farming is very profitable because the fish is easy to rear and can be harvested quickly. However, the cost of feed as the most significant component in production costs is currently getting higher. The availability and utilization of alternative feed is an urgent solution in creating sustainable catfish farming. This research was carried out during December 2020 – January 2021 in the Research Center for Limnology, Cibinong, Indonesia, which aims to determine the optimal proportion of minute duckweed (Lemna perpusilla) biomass added as feed supplemental to obtain an optimum growth of catfish fingerlings (Clarias sp.). Catfish were reared for 63 days in nine aquariums with a density of 25 fish per aquarium. The commercial pellet given in the control aquarium was 100% pellet portion (5% of the total fish weight), while in the treatment aquariums were 60% and 40% of the total fish weight. As compensation, fresh duckweed (L. perpusilla) was provided ad libitum. Fish were sampled twice to measure their weight and body length. This study showed that the proportion of duckweed as much as 40% as a supplement for commercial pellets could produce optimal catfish growth.
Highlights
Aquaculture of catfish (Clarias sp.) is increasingly popular because they grow faster than other fish species, in addition to requiring less water
The 100% pellet portion resulted in the highest specific growth rate (SGR) of catfish with an average of 3.6 ± 0.3% per day, an average daily growth (ADG) of 1.6 ± 0.15 g/fish, and condition factor (CF) of 4.5 ± 0.45 g/cm
The SGR, ADG, and CF consistently decreased with pellet reduction to 3.3 ± 0.3% per day, 1.3 ± 0.2 g/fish, and 3.8 ± 0.4 g/cm at 60% pellet portion, and 2.6 ± 0.3% per day, 0.8 ± 0.1 g/fish, and 2.8 g/cm at 40% pellet portion, respectively (Figure 3)
Summary
Aquaculture of catfish (Clarias sp.) is increasingly popular because they grow faster than other fish species, in addition to requiring less water. To support the rapid growth of catfish, more feed is needed, which is currently a significant constraint in aquaculture as the price continues to rise [1]. There is an urgent need to seek alternative feeds, cheap protein sources, to promote sustainable and environmentally friendly catfish farming. The plant-based feed has been pointed out as one of the feasible alternatives to increase the availability of protein sources. There has been emphasized some nutritional requirements and biomass availability to select the right plant for alternative feeds [2,3,4,5,6]. Biomass availability is mainly determined by the capacity of plant productivity in each available land throughout the seasons
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