Nutritive value of diet containing dried lactic acid fermented fish silage and soybean meal for juvenile<i>Oreochromis niloticus</i>and<i>Clarias gariepinus</i>

Abstract

Dry diets containing varying levels of dried fermented fish silage and soybean meal blend (FS: SBM) as replacement for 25,50 or 75% of fish meal protein were fed to juvenile Oreochromis niloticus (8.2 ± 0.1 g) and Clarias gariepinus (10.8 ± 0.3 g) at 5% body weight per day for 70 days. Diets containing co-dried FS: SBM supported weight gains and growth rates similar to those in the control treatment without significant differences (p > 0.05). Feed conversion, protein efficiency ratio and protein productive values followed a similar trend with growth performance values. Apparent protein digestibility decreased in both fish species with increasing dietary level of co-dried FS: SBM Carcass composition of experimental fish were not affected by the diets and morphological defects were not observed. Results indicate that co-dried FS: SBM can partially replace fish meal protein as well as establish the potential of utilizing waste/undersized tilapias as a protein feedstuff in dry aquaculture diets.