Growth performance, haematological parameters and carcass composition of Clarias gariepinus fingerlings fed varying inclusion levels of Asparagus racemosus Root meal diet

Abstract

The current study aimed at evaluate the effect of different inclusion levels of Asparagus racemosus root meal on two hundred and twenty five (225) Clarias gariepinus juveniles. Five iso-nitrogenous diets of 40% crude protein were formulated to contain different inclusion levels of A. racemosus root meal at (0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 g/kg) labelled as (DI-D5) with a triplicate of each regime at fifteen fish per tank. The fingerlings were fed to visual satiation between 08:00 and 09:00 and 16:00 and 17:00 hours for a period of fifty six (56) days in the Laboratory. Fish were weighed biweekly until the experiment was terminated. Results showed that Temperature ranged between 27.2–27.5 °C, Dissolved oxygen between 6.52-6.79 mg/L and pH between 7.12-7.65. Fish fed diet 3(1.0 g/kg) had the highest weight gain compared to the control and other treatments. A reduction in growth as the A. racemosus root meal increased beyond 1.0 g/kg was observed in diet 4 and 5 respectively. Different inclusion levels of A. racemosus in the diets improved the blood parameters as there were significant differences (p˂0.05) in the parameters tested. There were significant differences in the proximate analysis of the fish. Protein content was highest in fish fed diet 3(66.3%) and lowest in fish fed diet 1(62.4%). The study concludes that the inclusion level of A. racemosus root meal in the diet of C. gariepinus at 1.0 g/kg is found to be ideal to promote growth and better nutrient utilization.