Effect of diets containing medicinal plant ingredients on growth performance of red tilapia

Abstract

Present study was carried out to ascertain the effect of diets supplemented by three medicinal plant ingredients (Kathurumurunga: Sesbania grandiflora (T1), Beli: Aegle marmelos (T2) and Garlic: Allium sativum (T3) on growth performance of Oreochromis sp. (red tilapia) and water quality parameters. Red tilapia fry (Oreochromis sp.) were used for the experiment (n=360). Fish were stocked in three circular fiber glass tanks to acclimatize for one week. Circular fiberglass tanks were treated with ingredients of Sesbania grandiflora, Aegle marmelos, Allium sativum containing diets and control diet. Experimental design was Complete Randomized block design with triplicate; hence twelve experimental indoor fiberglass tanks were utilized. Thirty red tilapia fries weighing with 0.3052((±0.0086 g were stocked in each tank and were fed with 5% of their body mass twice per day for three-month period. Physicochemical parameters such as pH, conductivity, temperature, Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD5), nitrate and ortho-phosphate concentrations were recorded every second week. Fish in garlic treated (T3) and control (C) tanks were shown higher growth rates. Condition factor of fish in T1, T3 and control tanks was significantly higher (p<0.05) than T2 tanks. Water quality parameters such as BOD5, conductivity, nitrate and ortho-phosphate concentrations in control tanks were higher than treated tanks. All physicochemical parameters but pH were not significantly different (p<0.05) in experimental groups. Diets with medicinal plant ingredients have the ability to maintain good water quality in the fish culture system. Sesbania grandiflora, Allium sativum treated tanks and control tanks showed significantly higher growth performances than Aegle marmelos (T2) treated tanks. The present study concludes that fish in control and garlic-treated tanks shows higher growth rates than other fish in the experiment and, further investigations with a large fish are recommened to validate the present results.