GROWTH PERFORMANCE OF Clarias gariepinus FED WITH DIFFERENT COMMERCIAL FEEDS

Abstract

The growth performance of African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus) fingerlings fed with four commercial feed (Top, Vital, Lynx and Coppens) feeds was studied investigated with the aim of establishing the best quality feed in terms of growth rate, total weight and percentage survival rate, for a period of eight weeks. One hundred and eighty (180) fingerlings of Clarias gariepinus and four commercial feeds with varying proximate compositions was used for the experiment. Water quality parameters analyzed indicated temperature varied between 26.38⁰C and 27.05⁰C while pH ranged between 6.51 to 7.2and dissolved oxygen value was between4.70mg/l and 6.49mg/l respectively. The treatment shows significant difference in terms of mean weight gain, specific growth rates and survival rates (P<0.05). In terms of weight gain vital feed gave the best growth of 40.91g, top feed (29.41g), lynx feed had 26.92 and coppens feed had the lowest value of 24.74g. The best size in length (23.80) was observes for coppens. Survival rate showed Top feed having 100% followed Coppens feed (93.3%) while the lowest was recorded in Vital feed(46.67%).