Feeding Chart for Semi-intensive Pond Production of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) Fed on a Plant-based Diet and Economic Performance

Abstract

This study investigated feeding charts for semi-intensive pond production of Nile tilapia fed on a plant-based diet and the economic performance. In Experiment I, the performance of Nile tilapia fed on a plant-based diet comprising agricultural bi-products using three different experimental feeding charts (Feeding charts 1, 2 or 3) was investigated for 180 days. Each tested feeding chart constituted a treatment. Fish were grown in 9 happas each 2 m long×2 m wide×1.5 m high with mesh size 13 mm installed in a fertilized pond of 20×25 m³ with water temperature ranging from 23.0-30.6 ^oC. Each treatment was replicated in 3 happas.  The final fish weight (FW), daily growth coefficient (DCG), percentage (%) weight gain (% WG), condition factor (CF), feed conversion ratio (FCR) and % fish survival (% survival) were calculated. The length-weight relationship of the fish was also determined using the power regression. In Experiment II, the cost-effectiveness of rearing Nile tilapia fed on a plant-based diet using an identified feeding chart in Experiment I was evaluated in a semi-intensive fertilized pond of 70 m³ stocked with 13.6 g fish at a density of 3.4 fish/m³. The results in Experiment I indicated that fish fed following feeding chart 2 had significantly higher somatic growth than those fed using feeding charts 1 or 3. The DCG, % WG, CF, FCR and % survival were similar among the treatments. The fish exhibited isometric growth when fed using feeding chart 1 or 2. It was cost-effective to grow Nile tilapia using feeding chart 2 (Experiment II) under semi-intensive pond production at water temperature ranging from 20.8-26.2 ^oC.

Keywords: feeding charts, tilapia, plant-based diet, ponds, semi-intensive, cost-effective