Utilization And Growth Response Of C. Gariepinusfingerlings To Varying Inclusion Levels Of Livestock Vitamin Grower's Premix

Abstract

A 70 day experiment was conducted to determine the correctlevel of inclusion of

livestock vitamin premix in the diet of Clarias gariepinus fingerlings and to monitor the

utilization efficiency and growth performance of the test fish.

One hundred and eighty fingerlings of C. gariepinus were randomly distributed to six

treatments, each weighing 0.76 ± 0.05g. Thirty fingerlings per treatment were used. Each

treatment had varying levels of livestock vitamin premix except the control that had no

additional vitamin premix. Weighings of fish were done weekly and feed adjusted

accordingly. The data collected were subjected statistically to descriptive and analysis of

vanance.

All the treatments were significantly different from each other .and also from the

control at (P < 0.05). The highest mean weight gain was recorded in treatment 5 (0.910)

which had 2% premix inclusion. The carcass analysis showed T5 with the highest crude

protein level (64.43%). The highest daily and weekly mean weight gain were recorded in

treatment 5; 0.013g and 0.l30g respectively. The feedconversion ratio (FeR) was lowest in

T (2.147). The FeR for Ts (2.535) was insignificantly different (P < 0.05) from T1• The

fish feed control had the best FeR.

T5 had the best utilization and growth performance when the average weight gain and

the carcass crude protein composition and energy were compared. The fat deposited in

fingerlings fed T5 were moderately (5.63) lower than treatment 6 with 5.86. It can be

concluded that the fish fed treatment 5 will be less fatty than fish fed treatment 6 but more

fatty than the fish fed the controls.