EFFECT OF HOT PEPPER AS A FEED ADDITIVE ON REPRODUCTIVE AND PRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE OF NILE TILAPIA (OREOCHROMIS NILOTICUS)

EFFECT OF HOT PEPPER AS A FEED ADDITIVE ON REPRODUCTIVE AND PRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE OF NILE TILAPIA (OREOCHROMIS NILOTICUS)

Ahmed Abdalla¹ and
Agouz H.M²

¹Fish Physiology and Spawning Department

²Fish culture Department

Central Laboratory for Aquaculture Research,

Agriculture Research Center, Ministry of Agriculture, Egypt

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of five hot pepper levels (0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3%, 0.4%, and 0.5%) on the reproductive performance of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis nloticus), kept in hapas (4 m ×7 m × 1.2 m) suspended in an earthen pond. Fish (250 gm ± 2.35) were stocked for spawning into twelve hapas at a density of 120 fish (90 female and 30 male) per hapa /treatment. Fish fed the tested diets twice daily at a rate of 0.6 from their total biomass. Water quality parameters were measured weekly. Production of seed (i.e eggs and fry production) were compared with levels of hot pepper in the commercial diet. The results revealed that the reproductive and growth Performance (number of egg /female, number of fry /female, and hatchability) improved significantly by increasing hot pepper levels in the commercial diets. Fish fed from 0.1% to 0.4% hot pepper showed the highest performance while fish fed 0.5% hot pepper and control diet showed the lowest performance. In conclusion it seems that the 0.4% hot pepper level in commercial diet was the best compared the different levels of hot pepper followed by the 0.3%, 0.2% 0.1% and 0.5% hot pepper levels than control treatment respectively

Key wards: Nile tilapia, reproductive performance, Hot pepper