EVALUATION OF TWO COMMERCIAL FEED (FLOATING AND SINKING) FOR NILE TILAPIA FINGERLINGS (Oreochromis niloticus) REARED IN EARTHEN PONDS

El-Gendy, M.O.

Sakha Aquaculture Research Unit, Central Laboratory of Aquaculture Research, Abbassa. Fish aquaculture, Agriculture Research Center, Egypt.

Abstract

This experiment aimed to study the effect of floating and sinking feed on the productive performance of Oreochromis niloticus fingerlings in earthen ponds under Egyptian conditions; during season 2016 (from May to November; about 26 weeks). Six earthen ponds (4200 m²/ in each pond) were used in this study. O. niloticus fish were exposed to treatments; (Two replicates for each treatment). The first treatment fish were fed on two diets; crude protein and in the third treatment fish were fed on artificial feed 30% crude protein (factorial design). O. niloticus fingerlings average weight about 12.46 ± 1.27g was assigned randomly (12000 fingerlings/fed). Results show that, the fish feeding floating diet recorded the highest ranges of body weight, body length, condition factor, daily weight gain and specific growth rate. Also, the diet contains 30% crude protein recorded the highest ranges of body weight, body length, condition factor, daily weight gain and specific growth rate. Based on results obtained in this study and on the economical evaluation, it could be concluded that feeding floating pellets were better than feeding sinking other types of pellets, in addition to the increasing of protein percentage in diet was best in terms of economic efficiency compared with other treatments.

Key words: Earthen ponds, floating and sinking, protein level, O. niloticus