Feeding frequency and feeding regime in catfish: Effects on nutrient utilization, growth, biochemical and haematological parameters

Abstract

This study investigated growth, nutrient utilization, biochemical and haematological parameters of catfish fingerlings under varying feeding frequencies and regimes. Eight fish were put under different treatments; T (1-8) in triplicates. Fish were bulk weighed at the beginning of the experiment and on a weekly basis for 10 weeks. Significant effects (p<0.05) were recorded in mean weight gain (MWG), specific growth rate (SGR) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) across treatments. The control (T1) had the highest MWG (202.92?4.68) and SGR (4.24?0.05) while the lowest values were recorded in T4 (82.60?15.63 and 3.05?0.23 respectively). The best value for FCR was recorded in T6 (0.20?0.02), which differed significantly (p<0.05) from other treatments except T2. Significant differences (P<0.05) were shown in haemoglobin (Hb) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). The highest value for Hb was recorded in T6 (10.8?0.3) and the lowest value in T8 (7.6?0.3). The utmost value for ESR was recorded in T8 (43.5?2.1) while the least value was observed in T6 (19.0?4.2) and no significant differences (P>0.05) were recorded in both PCV and WBC. The blood protein, albumin, creatine, urea, cholesterol, triglyceride and high density lipoprotein did not show significant differences (P>0.05) across treatments. Aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase did not show significant differences (P>0.05) in values, while there was a reduction in values of chloride, potassium and sodium with a decrease in the number of feeding days. Results from this study confirmed that satiation feeding, two to three times daily, would enhance growth indices in C. gariepinus fingerlings.