Feeding frequency and feeding regime in catfish: Effects on nutrient utilization, growth, biochemical and haematological parameters
2017
Aderolu Ademola Z. | Lawal Muyideen O. | Eziefula Paul N. | Ahaiwe Emeka E.
This study investigated growth, nutrient utilization, biochemical and haematological parameters of catfish fingerlings under varying feeding frequencies and regimes. Eight fish were put under different treatments; T (1-8) in triplicates. Fish were bulk weighed at the beginning of the experiment and on a weekly basis for 10 weeks. Significant effects (p<0.05) were recorded in mean weight gain (MWG), specific growth rate (SGR) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) across treatments. The control (T1) had the highest MWG (202.92±4.68) and SGR (4.24±0.05) while the lowest values were recorded in T4 (82.60±15.63 and 3.05±0.23 respectively). The best value for FCR was recorded in T6 (0.20±0.02), which differed significantly (p<0.05) from other treatments except T2. Significant differences (P<0.05) were shown in haemoglobin (Hb) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). The highest value for Hb was recorded in T6 (10.8±0.3) and the lowest value in T8 (7.6±0.3). The utmost value for ESR was recorded in T8 (43.5±2.1) while the least value was observed in T6 (19.0±4.2) and no significant differences (P>0.05) were recorded in both PCV and WBC. The blood protein, albumin, creatine, urea, cholesterol, triglyceride and high density lipoprotein did not show significant differences (P>0.05) across treatments. Aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase did not show significant differences (P>0.05) in values, while there was a reduction in values of chloride, potassium and sodium with a decrease in the number of feeding days. Results from this study confirmed that satiation feeding, two to three times daily, would enhance growth indices in C. gariepinus fingerlings.
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