EFFECT OF USING PREBIOTIC FERMACTO®
MEAL IN IMPROVING PLANT DIETS EFFICIENCY FOR NILE TILAPIA (Oreochromis niloticus).

Mohammad H. Ahmad; Nader E. El-Tawil;

Talaat N. Amer and Medhat E. Seden

Department of Fish Nutrition, Central Laboratory for Aquaculture Research (CLAR), Agriculture Research Center, Egypt.

Received 28/ 6/ 2016

Accepted 2/ 8/ 2016

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the effect of using different levels of prebiotic fermacto® meal (PFM) to improve the efficiency of plant based diet of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Five isonitrogenous and isocaloric diets were formulated to provide 28% protein and 4.30 kcal/ g diets. Each diet was fed in triplicate groups of fry (1.03 g/fish) to apparent satiation for 10 weeks. Treatments were: T1 contained both FM and SBM as a protein source (FM control). T2 contained SBM as main protein source as a (SBM control). The last three treatments T3, T4 and T5 were (SBM-based diet) supplemented with different levels of PFM (1, 2 and 3 g /kg diet), respectively. Results showed that supplemented fish diets with PFM enhanced fish growth performance over SBM diet control. Highest growth performance parameters (P< 0.05) were recorded with fish fed on FM control diet and T5 (SBM-based diet + 3g PFM/kg diet) followed by fish fed on T4. Survival rate improved insignificantly with all PFM supplemented groups. Also, best values of feed utilization parameters were recorded with fish fed on FM control diet and fish fed on T5 and T4 diets, respectively. No significant differences (P > 0.05) were found in body dry matter, protein or lipid content among treatments groups. The results of present study suggested that the inclusion of prebiotic fermacto® meal at 3g/kg diet in plant-based diet enhanced the growth performance and the feed efficiency and reduced the feed cost of Nile tilapia fry.

Keywords: Nile tilapia, prebiotic fermacto® meal, plant diets, growth performance, feed efficiency, economic evaluation.