TITLE:
Water Quality and Growth Performance of Nile Tilapia Fries Fed on Insect-Based Feeds
AUTHORS:
Benjamin Musyimi Musingi, Kiplagat Ngeno, Simon Omasaki, Leah Mumbi Mahianyu, Dorcas Mutheu Musingi
KEYWORDS:
Black Soldier Fly, Dagaa, Growth, Omena, Replacement of Fish Meal, Tilapia Fries
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Animal Sciences,
Vol.13 No.1,
December
21,
2022
ABSTRACT: Fish feed is one of the main constraints
on the growth of aquaculture in Kenya. The lack of high-quality and competitively
priced feeds means that the fish farmers are unable to expand their production.
To ensure that aquaculture remains viable and sustainable, it is necessary to
optimize production through the utilization of locally available feeding
materials. Insect-based feeds are alternative
least-cost feeding resource in fish production. Using alternative protein
sources such as black soldier fly larvae (BSF) and daphnia meal in place of
fishmeal (Omena and Dagaa) is an ingenious strategy for sustainable fish aquaculture.
This study evaluated the effect of four treatments: BSF, daphnia, Omena from Lake Victoria and Dagaa from Lake Tanganyika on the fish pond environmental
parameters and fish fries’ performance (body weight and
length). The
experiment was carried out in a greenhouse with 30 fingerlings in each
experimental unit. The feeding trials took 23 days. Results indicated that the
four treatments have a varied effect on the BW and L of fish fries. A high growth rate was observed
in Daphia, followed by BSF, Omena and Dagaa in that order. On the other hand, the treatments have varied
effects on pond parameters with BSF promoting too much growth of algae. BSF
have higher amounts of ammonia, nitrates and phosphorus, which stimulate the high
growth of algae.