UTILIZATION OF NYMPHAEA LOTUS AS PARTIAL REPLACEMENT FOR MAIZE IN THE DIET OF CLARIAS GARIEPINUS FINGERLINGS

Abstract

The use of Nymphaea lotus as energy replacement in the diet of Clarias gariepinus fingerlings was investigated in a 12-week experiment. Five isonitrogeneous (40% crude protein) diet were formulated using dried Nymphaea lotus leaves at 0% (T1), 12.5% (T2), 25% (T3), 37.5% (T4) and 50% (T5) inclusion levels as partial substitutes for maize meal, with three replicates each. Growth and nutrient utilization, Haematological and serum biochemistry parameters were determined and the data were subjected to one-way analysis of variance. The results showed that fish fed with T1 recorded the highest mean weight gain (26.58±3.00g), which was not significantly (p>0.05) different from those of the other dietary treatments. The least growth indices were recorded in fish fed T5 (50%). There was no significant difference (p>0.05) among the values of Heterophil (HET), lymphocyte (LYM), and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) among the treatments. The serum biochemistry analysis showed that the highest value (14.10±1.83) of Total protein (TP) was observed in T5 which was not significantly different (p>0.05) from other treatment while the lowest value (9.70±0.60) of TP was observed in T2. The highest value (63.70±3.60) of Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), was recorded in T5 while the least value (30.30±1.50) was observed in T1. It can be concluded that dried N. lotus can only replace maize at 25% inclusion level in the diet of C. gariepinus.