The Effect of Nutrition from Various Feeds on the Growth and Survival of African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus) Fry

Abstract

The success of the African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) seeding stage is largely determined by the availability of feed with high nutritional efficiency in the early seedling phase. This study aimed to evaluate the nutritional efficiency of African catfish fry growth and survival. The study was conducted using a completely randomized design with three natural feed treatments, namely silkworms (Tubifex sp.), water fleas (Daphnia sp.), egg yolk, and commercial pellets as the control. The parameters observed included Nutrient Composition and Its Implications for Seed Performance, Survival Response and Nutrient Utilization, Growth Performance and Energy Distribution. The results of proximate analysis showed that silkworms had the highest protein content (57%) compared to Daphnia sp. (37.38%) and egg yolk (16.6%). Fry fed with silkworms showed the highest growth and survival performance with a SR value of 78%, length growth of 3.60 cm, weight growth of 0.65 g, and SGR of 0.3575% per day. This performance indicates improved nutrient utilization efficiency, supported by a balance of protein and energy that allows optimal nutrient allocation for somatic growth. This study indicates that silkworms have the highest nutritional efficiency as a natural feed for African catfish fry and have the potential to be implemented as an economical feeding strategy to improve fry quality in hatchery systems.