Evaluation of the effects of feed attractants (Spirulina and ekangi) on growth performance, feed utilization and body composition of fingerlings of stinging cat fish, Heteropneustes fossilis (Bloch, 1792)

Abstract

Asian catfish (local name shingi or shing), Heteropneuestes fossilis as a fish was chosen for this study due to high survival rate, low diseases and high demand to the people as a food. An experiment was conducted for sixty days to evaluate the effects of Spirulina and ekangi used as feed additives on growth performance and body composition of stinging fish, H. fossilis at Department of Fisheries, University of Dhaka. There were nine aquariums under three treatments. Fingerlings of H. fossilis with initial weight 5.23±0.64g, 4.84±0.75g and 6.64±0.96g and initial length 10.23±.47cm, 10.2±0.91cm, and 11.76 ±0.27cm for three treatments i.e. T1, T2 and T3 respectively fed on three different experimental diets. Three types of experimental diets viz. diet I containing control diet without addition of feed additives, diet II control diet with 1% Spirulina, diet III control diet with 1% ekangi. All the water quality parameters specifically- Temperature (ºC), Dissolved oxygen (DO), and pH in the aquariums were highly monitored and maintained. The change in growth and feed utilization by the shing fish for three different experimental diets has been assessed by the determination of condition factor (K), survival rate (SR %), specific growth rate (SGR %), feed conversion ratio (FCR), feed efficiency and average daily gain (ADG) and protein efficiency ratio (PER). The lowest food conversion ratio (FCR) was found for T2 (diet II) while the highest was measured in T1 (diet I). The FCR value of T3 (diet III) was also lower than T1. The values of protein efficiency ratio (PER), condition factor (K), average daily gain (ADG) and specific growth rate (SGR) were greater in T2 and T3 than T1. Fish fed with the control diet had the lowest protein and fat content. Ash content increased significantly when fish fed supplemented diet as compared with the control treatments. The study with different feed attractants revealed that the net weight gain and feed intake were significantly higher in T2 and T3 than T1. Result of the current study showed that supplementation of Spirulina and ekangi with control diet as feed attractants had significant positive effects on the FCR, SGR, and ADG and PER.