A feeding trial was carried out to evaluate the effect of the inclusion level of Dung Beetle Larvae Meal (DBLM) in the diet of Clarias gariepinus fingerlings through their growth response, body composition and haematological indices for 56 days. Four (4) iso-nitrogenous diets were formulated at 40% crude protein. DBLM was included at different levels and designated as D1 (0% inclusion: control), D2 (10% inclusion), D3 (35% inclusion) and D4 (50% inclusion). The experiment was in triplicate and twenty fish were allocated per each in 50 litres (56cm × 30cm × 30cm) glass aquarium, with the initial mean weight of 2.39±0.05 g. The fingerlings were fed to satiation thrice a day throughout the experiment. The growth data indicated that the fishes fed D3 had the highest weight gain (23.05±1.20 g), specific growth rate (4.24±0.10 %), feed intake (23.99±1.01), feed efficiency (0.96±0.01), and protein efficiency ratio (2.41±0.03). The fingerlings fed D4 exhibited the lowest values in all the growth parameters measured. However, there was no significant difference (P>0.05) between the fish fed D1 and D4. The body compositions (dry basis) showed that D1 had the highest crude protein (60.88%), D3 had the higher crude fibre (9.45%) and D4 was highest in ether extract (12.53%). The haematological parameters such as packed cell volume, red blood cell, platelet count and mean corpuscular volume ranged between 6.00 – 22.00 (%); 1.10 – 3.40 (×1012/l); 130.00 – 335.00 (×109/l) and 54.55 – 64.71 (fl) respectively. Therefore, for optimal growth responses, DBLM could be included in diets of up to 35%.
Key words: Growth, responses, haematology, indices, Clarias gariepinus
|
