Journal of Fisheries & Livestock Production
Open Access

Abstract

A feeding trial was conducted to determine the effect of cassava flour as an alternative source of energy in Clarias gariepinus fingerlings. A total of 300 fingerlings of average weight 3.01 g were randomly distributed into five treatments, each treatment had three replicates. Twenty fingerlings were distributed into each bucket of 50 liters, which was filled with 40 liters of water. Five diets containing 35% crude protein were formulated in which maize was replaced with cassava flour meal at different level: Diet 1 (100% cassava), Diet 2 (75% cassava), Diet 3 (50% cassava), Diet 4 (25% cassava) and Diet 5 (0% cassava) which serves as the control diet. They were fed at 5% body weight per day for 10 weeks. The results showed that cassava flour was suitable as an alternative source of energy in Clarias gariepinus fingerlings. Diet 3 (50% cassava) has the highest mean followed by Diet 4 (25% cassava), Diet 5 (0% cassava), Diet 2 (75% cassava) and Diet 1 (100% cassava) respectively. There were no significant differences (P>0.05) in the growth response of Clarias gariepinus. It is therefore concluded that cassava flour is a cheap source of non-conventional energy source which could be successfully used to replace maize (50% inclusion levels) as an energy source in the diets of Clarias gariepinus fingerlings.

Biography

Dalmeida Lucas Oluwaseun is a Lecturer in the Department of Agricultural Education, Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Nigeria. He has completed his Master’s degree in Fisheries and Aquatic Biology and currently pursuing PhD in the same field in Lagos State University, Nigeria.

Email: dalmeidalucas@yahoo.com