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Preliminary Assessments of the Gut Weed Enteromorpha Intestinalis as Feed for Brackishwater Herbivorous Fish

MAB Siddik
Assistant Professor
Department of Fisheries Biology and Genetics, Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Bangladesh.

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

Four feeding regimes were assigned to triplicate tanks, each day fish were fed either commercial feed or gut weed, namely single commercial feed (CF) everyday considered as a control treatment, single gut weed (GW) everyday, and 2 alternative feeding regimes where 1 day commercial feed and 1 consecutive day gut weed (1CF_1GW) and/or 2 consecutive days gut weed (1CF_2GW). The results indicated that survival of experimental fish were not affected by the feeding treatments (P>0.05). Growth performance of the S. argus, fed single gut weed was not significantly different from the control group, fed single commercial feed. However, growth performance of Oreochromis sp. and O. goramy in the alternative feeding treatments were comparable to the control. Feed conversion ratio in the combined feeding regimes could be reduced from 26.1% to 57.8%. Furthermore, water quality in terms of NO2 and NH4/NH3 in the rearing tanks was better in the combined feeding than in the single commercial feeding. These results indicated that gut weed can be used as a feed to partially substitute commercial feed for herbivorous fish.

Keywords: Gut weed, Enteromorpha sp., Herbivorous fish, Commercial feed

Location:

Start Date: 01-01-2012

End Date: 30-09-2012

Program Area: Animal Health and Management

Commodity: Fish

Objectives:

To assess the effect of commercial feed replacement with gut weed as direct feed on water quality, growth and feed efficiency of the herbivorous fishes (S. argus, Oreochromis sp. and O. goramy).

Methodology:

Three separate experiments were performed in the experimental hatchery complex of the College of Aquaculture and Fisheries, Can Tho University, Vietnam during the period of January to September, 2012. The fresh or dried gut weeds were used as a direct feed to replace commercial feed in an alternative regimes for feeding spotted scat (S. argus), red tilapia (O. niloticus) and giant gourami (O. goramy) juveniles for 60 days, 45 days and 56 days, correspondingly. Feeding regimes were assigned to triplicate tanks, each day fish was fed either commercial feed or gut weed. Four treatments comprised single commercial feed (CF) everyday as a control treatment, single gut weed (GW) everyday, and 2 alternative feeding regimes where 1 day commercial feed and 1 consecutive day gut weed (1CF_1GW) and or 2 consecutive days gut weed (1CF_2GW). The commercial feed (GROBEST-GB640) used in this studies had the crude protein ≥30%, lipid ≥6%, ash ≥14%, fiber ≥6% and moisture ≥11% (information from manufacturer). Proximate composition (% dry matter) of gut weed was analyzed by the standard method of AOAC (1995) consisting of the protein (12.7±2.6%), lipid (2.4±0.2%), ash (32.4±7.6%), fiber (4.5±1.1%) and carbohydrate (47.9±6.7%).

Data collection

Daily water temperature and pH were recorded at 7:00 and 14:00 h using a thermo-pH meter (Model: YSI 60) and the concentrations of NO2, and NH4/NH3 (TAN) were determined weekly using test kits Sera, German. Sampling was done at 14 or 15-day interval. Specific growth rate (SGR), feed conversion ratio (FCR) and survival rate were calculated using the following equations:

SGR (%/day) = (Final weight - Initial weight)/culture period x100

Survival (%) = Final number of fish/Initial number of fish x100

FCR = Feed intake (dry weight)/Weight gain (wet weight)

Source of Information: J. Patuakhali Sci. and Tech. Univ. 2013, 4(2):13-19

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

From this research it can be concluded that using gut weed Enteromorpha spp. to replace commercial feed can maintain better water quality and reduce feed costs. In this way, farmers maximize the use of on-farm resources without additional cost for feeds.

Knowledge Management: Journal