Effect of molasses-fermented water hyacinth feed on growth and body composition of common carp, Cyprinus carpio

Abstract

The present study was conducted to study the effect of molasses-fermented water hyacinth feed on growth and body composition of common carp, Cyprinus carpio. The experiment was conducted in FRP pool (1.5x1.0x0.75 m), consisted of 5 treatments (D1, D2, D3, D4 and D5) with 3 replicates each. Fermented water hyacinth (FWH) was incorporated into test diet, as an energy source, at different levels (@ 0 (D1), 40 (D2), 80(D3), 120 (D4) and 160 (D5) g/kg test diet) as a replacement for equal amount of rice bran fish were fed 3-5% of body weight for 120.All the water quality parameters were within the range for carp culture. Net weight gain (NWG) and Specific growth rate (SGR) were maximum in (24.63 g and 0.79) in D5 and minimum (16.12 g and 0.60) in D1 and the differences in NWG and SGR among treatments were significant (P≤0.05). FCR were recorded significantly (P≤0.05)better in D5 (1.18) and maximum in D1 (1.28).FWH supplementation in common carp improved flesh quality in terms of total protein and total lipid content significantly (P≤0.05), as higher flesh protein and lipid content was recorded in fish fed on FWH supplemented feeds. Molasses fermented WH can be replaced with rice bran up to 40 % (of RB) in the diets for common carp fingerlings. Fermented water hyacinth form an abundant alternative natural un-utilized resource for less expensive fish feed and higher fish yield to enhance farmer’s income.