The effects of artificial diets on fry production and growth of Oreochromis niloticus breeders

Abstract

Tilapia breeders were fed with pelleted supplemental diets containing 20 or 40% crude protein at a daily feeding rate of 1% of fish biomass for 24 weeks in cages and tanks. Breeders were weighed and fry were collected at 3-week intervals. The 40% protein diet consistently gave the highest fry production and growth of breeders. The 20% protein diet gave variable results; fry production and growth were comparable to those of breeders fed with the 40% protein diet in some trials but significantly low in others. Breeders without supplemental feeding invariably had the least number of fry and the lowest body weights.