Growth Performance and Haematological Parameters of African Catfish, Clarias gariepinus Fingerlings Fed Varying Inclusion Levels of Azanza garckeana Seed Meal Diet

• T.M. Oladipupo

  Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture Technology, Federal University of Technology, P. M. B 704, Akure, Nigeria.

  Author

• S.R. Salami

  Department of Fisheries Technology, The Federal Polytechnic Ado Ekiti, Nigeria

  Author

This study investigated the effect of varying inclusion levels of Azanza garckeana seed meal on growth performance and nutritional utilization of Clarias gariepinus juveniles was investigated for 70 days. Five experimental diets of 40% crude protein were formulated with inclusion levels of (0.0, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 g/kg) A. garckeana seed meal labelled as (AGI-AG5) respectively. Two hundred and twenty-five (225) C. gariepinus fingerlings with mean weight of 7.50±0.03g were randomly selected and distributed into 15 glass tanks at the rate of 15 fish per tank representing five treatments with three replicates. Fish were fed to satiation twice daily (08:00-09:00 hours and 16:00-17:00 hours GMT) in a laboratory setting. Fish were weighed biweekly until the conclusion of the experiment. At the end of the experiment, the results of the water quality parameters showed that temperature ranged between 27.41–27.66 C. dissolved oxygen between 7.48-7.53 mg/L and pH between 6.52-6.71. Fish fed AG3 had the highest weight gain compared to the control and other treatments. A reduction in growth as the A. garckeana seed meal increased beyond 1.5 g/kg was observed in treatment AG4 and AG5 respectively. The inclusion of A. garckeana seed meal at different levels in the diets positively influenced the WBC, RBC, Hb, PCV, MCH, MCV and MCHC with significant differences (p<0.05) observed in the parameters tested. The study concluded that the inclusion level of A. garkeana seed meal in the diet of C. gariepinus at 1.50g/kg is found to be ideal to promote growth and better nutrient utilisation.

1. T.M. Oladipupo, Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture Technology, Federal University of Technology, P. M. B 704, Akure, Nigeria.

   Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture Technology, Federal University of Technology, P. M. B 704, Akure, Nigeria.

2. S.R. Salami, Department of Fisheries Technology, The Federal Polytechnic Ado Ekiti, Nigeria

   Department of Fisheries Technology, The Federal Polytechnic Ado Ekiti, Nigeria

• PDF