An 8- week feeding trial was conducted to compare the efficiency of two commercial feeds fed to Clarias
gariepinus juveniles under laboratory conditions. One hundred and forty (140) juveniles were used for the study. The experimental diets used in this study were Top feed (indigenous feed) and Aller Aqua feed (foreign feed) . The experiment was a complete randomized design with two experimental diets in six replicates of ten fish per bowl for a period of eight weeks. The growth performance (weight gain in kg), percentage growth rate (PGR), specific growth rate (SGR) and mean growth rate (MGR)) and nutrient utilization indices of fish were significantly different (P<0.05) in all fish fed the two experimental diets. The carcass traits (moisture, protein, fat, ash, carbohydrate) of the fish fed the experimental diets were significantly different (P<0.05) from one another.
Results from this study therefore showed that foreign fish feed performed better than local fish feed. The implication of the result is that Aller Aqua feed can be used for raising Clarias
gariepinus juveniles in a culture system instead of Top feed without compromising their growth performances. However, Top feed is more cost effective for fish farmers than Aller Aqua which is twice more expensive due to the fact that Aller Aqua is an imported fish feed. Both are however recommended for C. gariepinus production but more preferably Top feed on the basis of affordability without compromising growth performance of the fish.
Key words: Comparative efficiency, Commercial feeds, Clarias
gariepinus
juveniles,
Laboratory conditions