Impact of using unconventional feeds on the growth and survival of Nile tilapia fry (Oreochromis niloticus)

Azza Y  idres; Aml Farag Younis; Najwa Hussein Omar; Abougrara Ali Mahmoud

doi:10.58916/jhas.v11i3.1140

Authors

Azza Y idres Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Omar Al-Mukhtar University, Al Bayda, Libya. Author
Aml Farag Younis Department of Physiology, Nutrition, and Biochemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Omar Al-Mukhtar University Author
Najwa Hussein Omar Department of Physiology, Nutrition, and Biochemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Omar Al-Mukhtar University Author
Abougrara Ali Mahmoud Department of Marine Resources, Faculty of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, Omar Al-Mukhtar University, Al Bayda, Libya Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58916/jhas.v11i3.1140

Keywords:

Nile tilapia, blood meal, growth performance, feed efficiency, aquaculture nutrition

Abstract

Type here (This study was conducted over a 60-day period to evaluate the effects of a non-commercial diet containing blood meal (BM) as a partial substitute for fish meal (FM), the primary source of animal protein, on the growth performance of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) reared in ponds. Two iso-nitrogenous diets (35% crude protein) were formulated: in Treatment 1 (T1), blood meal constituted 29% of the diet, while in Treatment 2 (T2), it constituted 25%. A commercial diet with 35% crude protein served as the control.

A total of 135 fingerlings were randomly distributed into three experimental groups, each with three replicates (15 fish per replicate). Fish were hand-fed three times daily at 9:00 AM, 1:00 PM, and 5:00 PM. Uneaten feed was collected daily before the first feeding. Feeding rates were set at 6% of body weight during the first three weeks and adjusted to 5% and 3% during the final three weeks. Growth performance indicators, including daily weight gain (DWG), relative growth rate (RGR), specific growth rate (SGR), survival rate, and feed utilization efficiency, were assessed.

Results indicated that fish fed the control diet achieved significantly higher final body weight (69.48 g; p < 0.05) compared to those fed T1 (47.46 g) and T2 (44.37 g). However, the non-commercial diets showed acceptable growth performance and feed utilization efficiency. These findings suggest that blood meal can be used as a partial replacement for fish meal in Nile tilapia diets without markedly compromising growth performance, offering a cost-effective alternative for aquaculture practices.