Preliminary studies of the dual role of cotton-seed cake as fish feed and fish pond fertilizer in aquaculture

Many locally available fish feeds have been tried in fish culture. These include guinea corn, soya bean, groundnut cake and rice bran. Cotton seed cake has been successfully used as a fishpond organic fertilizer at Ado-Ekiti Government fish farm. Three fishponds stocked respectively with common carps, Heterotis, Tilapia spp., Clarias lazera and Heterobranchus were fed with cotton seed cake. Carps, Tilapia and Heterotis increased rapidly in weight and length while the catifishes did not grow

An investigation of the effect of replacing fish meal with soyabean meal, groundnut cake and blood meal at varied proportion on growth and food utilization of the Clarias anguillaris fingerlings fed in outdoor hapas

Fingerlings of Clarias anguillaris obtained from a homogenous source through induce breeding and each with a mean weight of 2.8g were stocked in ten hapas each measuring 1.0x1.0m in outdoor concrete tank and were fed for eight (8) weeks. Results shows that the best growth rate was recorded among fingerlings fed fish meal as the only protein source (TD5) while DT2 containing soya bean, groundnut cake (40%), blood meal as the protein sources came next. The growth rate of fingerlings fed DT2 (40 % groundnut cake, 10% soyabean meal and 10% blood meal) was higher than those fed DT4 containing 10% fish meal but lower than those fed DT5 which has fish meal as its sole source of protein (53.0%). Analysis of various growth parameters like SGR, FCR and PER. shows that DT5 was the overall best diet but there was no significant statistical difference in weight gained by fish fed the five diets (P <0.05)

Surimi based dried fish cake

Minced fish prepared from the fillets of the sciaenid fish (Lutjanus sp.) was washed with cold water (<10 °C) three times. The washed muscle was pressed through a piece of fine cloth to a moisture content around 80%. The pressed cake (Surimi) was ground with 2.5% sodium chloride and 3% tapioca starch. The mixed material was shaped in the form of a cake and left for one hour for the gel to set. The cakes were then steamed. The cooled cakes were cut into pieces of 1 cm length x 1 cm width x 0.5 cm thick. The pieces were either dried in an electrical oven at 50°C or dried in sun to a moisture content of 11-12%. Biochemical, bacteriological and organoleptic evaluation revealed that the cakes were in very good acceptable form for 8 months. The cakes could be rehydrated by soaking in water at ambient temperature for half an hour and boiling in water for 10 minutes.

Study on shelf life of fish cake prepared from surimi of silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) during frozen storage

Surimi was prepared from silver carp with an aim to put this underutilized fish for profitable use. The mince prepared was washed twice with chilled water (5°C) using mince to water ratio (w/v) of 1:2 for 5-6 minutes each. After final dewatering to moisture content to about 80%; half the quantity of washed minced meat was mixed with cryoprotectants (4% sorbitol, 4% sucrose and 0.3% sodium tripolyphosphate) to produce surimi. The prepared surimi and the dewatered minced meat were packed in LDPE bags, frozen using a plate freezer and stored at -20°C. Surimi and dewatered minced meat from frozen storage were used as base material for production of fish cakes. These were fried at 160°C for 3 to 4 minutes before serving for organoleptic test. Changes in salt soluble nitrogen, total volatile base nitrogen, non-protein nitrogen, peroxide value and free fatty acid of surimi and dewatered mince were estimated at every ten days interval during the storage period of 3 months. The study has indicated that frozen storage of surimi could be a potential method for effective utilization of silver carp. This surimi when incorporated in fish cakes yielded products which retained the shelf life even up to 90 days of storage.

Evaluation of processed groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) cake meals in the feeding of Clariid catfish, Clarias gariepinus, fingerlings

Groundnut cake (GNC) meal is an important source of dietary protein for domestic animals with a cost advantage over the conventional animal protein sources used in aquaculture feed production. It would be useful to evaluate the effects of GNC processing methods on the density and nutritional values of processed GNC meals. The use of processed GNC meals in the diets of Clarias gariepinus fingerlings was evaluated. Seven iso-proteic and iso-caloric diets were formulated, replacing fish meal with roasted and boiled GNC meals, each at three inclusion levels of 30%, 35%, and 40%. Diet I is 100% fishmeal, Diet II is 30% roasted GNC meal, Diet III is 35% roasted GNC meal, Diet IV is 40% roasted GNC meal, Diet V is 30% boiled GNC meal, Diet VI is 35% boiled GNC meal and Diet VII is 40% boiled GNC meal. Results showed that the crude protein content of GNC meals was 40.5% and 40.8% in boiled and roasted GNC meals respectively; the lower protein content for processed GNC meals might be due to heat denaturation of the seed protein, with boiled GNC meal being more adversely affected. The mean weight gain of fingerlings fed roasted GNC meals ranged between 5.29 – 5.64 while for boiled GNC meals, it was between 4.60 – 5.22. Generally, fish performed better when fed diets containing roasted GNC meals, than boiled GNC meals, and compared favorably with fish fed fish meal based diet. Body mass increase, total feed increase, protein efficiency ratio and specific growth rate by C. gariepinus fingerlings in all diets, showed no significant differences, suggesting that processed GNC meals could partially replace diets for C. gariepinus fingerlings without adverse consequences. This study showed that processed GNC meals could partially replace fish meal up to 30% without significantly influencing fingerling growth and health. It is recommended that the use of fish meal as the main basal ingredient for fingerlings could be discontinued, since GNC meal was a cheaper alternative, and could replace fish meal up to 35%, without any significant adverse effects on the fingerling performance. KEYWORDS: Clarias gariepinus, Fingerlings, Groundnut cake meal, Nutrient utilization, Performance.

High temperature salting of fish mince

Freshly caught miscellaneous fish were transported to the laboratory, gutted and washed before mechanical separation into bone and mince. Seven batches of the mince were then treated with seven different concentrations (Wt/Wt) of sodium chloride before cooking. The cooked mince was divided into two groups, pressed and unpressed. Percentage residual salt of the salted cooked mince, cooked water and salted pressed mince was determined. Also, the moisture content of the salted cooked mince and salted pressed cake was determined

The potentials for commercial production of fish feeds in Nigeria

Studies in fish feed technology revealed that there is a potential for big time investment into fish feed production and marketing in view of the growing awareness of fish farming in Nigeria. Intensification of aquaculture is one of the primary methods of food (finfish) production which requires technical knowledge and expertise in the formulation and manufacture of adequate feeds for the cultured species. Studies also revealed that all sort of food items were used by fish farmers ranging from animal dung, groundnut cake etc, to culture fish to table size because of non-availability of rightly prepared feeds. Inadequate knowledge of detailed requirements of tropical cultured species was found to pose a hindrance to formulation despite the fact that a lot has been accumulated in terms of biochemical and nutritive values of food sources in Nigeria. The investigation further revealed the challenges posed to researchers in aquaculture, fish nutritionists and fisheries biologists among others to elucidate the complete requirements of local fish species in terms of their protein, lipid and carbohydrate requirements such that their patents could be made available to companies like PFIZER, IBRU etc, and individuals alike to make commercialization of fish feeds a reality

The growth and survival rate of Oreochromis niloticus fries fed (private) with varying percentages of Leucaena leucocephala leaf meal based diets

A-ten-week feeding trial was carried out to evaluate the growth and survival rate of Oreochromis niloticus fed with varying percentage levels of Leucaena leucocephala leaf meal based diets. The substitution rates of L.leucocephala leaf meal for groundnut cake in the various diets were 0% - Diet 1, 25% - Diet 2, 50% - Diet 3 and 75% - Diet 4. Ten fries with an average weight of 0.44g were stocked at the rate of 10 fish per bowl and fed at 5% body weight. Diet 1 with 0% inclusion of Leucaena leaf meal gave a significant difference (P>0.05) in growth and survival rate compared with diets 2, 3 and 4. The water quality parameters recorded were appropriate for fish culture

The growth and survival rate of (private) Oreochromis niloticus fingerlings fed with varying percentages of Leucaena leucocephala leaf meal based diets

A-ten-week feeding trial was carried out to evaluate the growth and survival rate of Oreochromis niloticus fed with varying percentage levels of Leucaena leucocephala leaf meal as a substitute for groundnut cake. The levels in the various diets were 0% - Diet 1, 25% - Diet 2, 50% - Diet 3 and 75% - Diet 4. Ten fingerlings with an average weight of 0.44g were stocked at the rate of 10 fish per bowl and fed at 5% body weight. Diet 1 with 0% inclusion of leucaena leaf meal gave a significant difference (P>0.05) in growth and survival rate compared with diets 2, 3 and 4. The water quality parameters recorded were appropriate for fish culture

Effect of dietary protein level on the growth of Deccan mahseer fry Tor khudree Sykes

Four feeds having different protein levels were separately tested on Tor khudree fry having an average length of 23.5 mm and weight 55 mg. The best average growth of 15.66 mg and 0.456 mm/day was obtained with Feed IV which comprised rice bran, ground nut oil cake, Acetes, wheat flour and mineral mix at the ratio of 1:1:1:0.7143:0.01428. These constitute 35.29% of proteins. The Feed II which comprised R.B + G.O.C. + prawn shell + wheat flour and mineral mix at a ratio of 1:1:1:0.7143:0.01428 contained 32.61% crude proteins. It provided a growth rate of 14.83 mg and 0.440 mm per day. The conversion rates were 38.258 and 37.776 for feeds IV and II respectively. Since Feed II is cheaper than Feed IV and provides almost equal growth rate, it can be used in the nurseries for intensive rearing of T. khudree fry.

Mixed culture of fishes in seasonal ponds through fertilization and feeding

A study on mixed culture of mirror carp (Cyprinus carpio Lin.), tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus Lin.), silver carp (Hypophthalmicthys molitrix Val.) and Thai sharpunti (Puntius gonionotus Bleeker) in the ratio of 1:2:2:5 was conducted in 12 seasonal mini ponds (30 m² each) for 105 days. There were six treatments each with two replicates and each pond was stocked with a total of 100 fishes. Rice bran and mustard oil cake were used as supplemental feed either in combination or alone in presence or absence of fertilizer. Fertilizers were used in the form of organic, inorganic or both. The best growth performance of mirror carp, tilapia and Thai sharpunti was obtained in treatment III which received both fertilizer (organic+inorganic) and rice bran while the highest growth of silver carp was obtained in treatment VI receiving only inorganic fertilizer. However, the overall best production (2450 Kg/ha) and economic return for the culture period was obtained in treatment VI followed by treatment III. The results are discussed in the light of water quality parameters.

Studies on growth and mortality of Cyprinus carpio (Lin.) in floating ponds

Growth and mortality rate of Cyprinus carpio (Linnaeus) under five different dietary conditions were studied in fifteen floating net cages in ponds of the Bangladesh Agricultural University Campus, Mymensingh. Growth rate was found to vary under different dietary conditions. The feed with mixture of 25% rice bran, 5% wheat bran, 30% linseed oil cake and 40% water hyacinth leaf meal exhibited the highest growth rate. The gain of log of body weight per unit increase of log of total length was significant. Significant survivals of the fishes were found.

Polyculture of gulsha (Mystus cavasius Ham.) with rajpunti (Puntius gonionotus Bleeker) and silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix Val.) in earthen ponds

Culture of gulsha (Mystus cavasius) with rajpunti (Puntius gonionotus) and silver carp ( Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) was undertaken to assess the growth and production potential of these species under polyculture system. Fingerlings of gulsha, rajpunti and silver carp were stocked at a density of 18.000, 10.000 and 4.000/ha respectively. Two treatments were tested in this experiment. Treatment-I was conducted with rice bran and mustard oil cake and treatment-II with rice bran and duck weed. All the ponds were fertilized with urea and TSP at fortnightly intervals. After six months' rearing, the gross production was estimated to be 3,582 and 3,125 kg/ha from treatment-I and treatment-II respectively. Total yield showed non-significant differences (P>0.05) between the treatments.

Effects of supplementary feeds on growth and survival of freshwater giant prawn (Macrobrachium resenbergii [i.e. rosenbergii] deMan)

Highest growth of prawn was obtained with Feed B (743 kg/ha) with highest survival rate (60.88%) followed by Feed A where production and survival rate was 659 kg/ha and 53.50%, respectively. Feed A contained 30% dry ground cow viscera, 40% oil cake, 20% rice-bran and 10% heat bran. Feed conversion ratios were found to be 7.60:1 for Feed A and 6.46:1 for Feed B, which indicated that Feed B was more efficiently utilized by the prawn than Feed A. Statistical analysis revealed that the differences in production of prawns among the treatments were highly significant (P< 0.01).