Tropicultura (Jan 2001)
Effect of Feeding Frequency on the Growth of Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in Earthen Ponds
Abstract
Duplicate groups of Nile tilapia fingerlings (30.9 g) were fed at three different frequencies, i. e. 2, 3 and 6 meals a day, in six 400 m2 earthen ponds. Fish stocked at 22.4 g/m2 (about 60 ind./are) was thus fed an experimental diet containing 25 % protein from vegetal origin. The feed was daily distributed, by hand, at equal time intervals between 8 a. m. and 3 p. m. After fifteen weeks trials, significantly (p <0.05) best growth was obtained in the 6 times a day treatment (daily growth rate 1.3 g/day as compared to 0.9 g/day for each of the two other treatments). It could be noticed that increase in the feeding frequency was associated with increase in growth rate and decrease in FGR (from 1.6 to 1.3). In term of fish production, there was an estimated extra tilapia production of 8.7 kg/are/year with the 6 times a day frequency, comparatively to the two other treatments. In an environment where labour is not actually limiting, the study suggests that Nile tilapia in production ponds should be fed six times a day.
