Level and frequency of the feeding in the Nile tilapia fingerling development

Abstract

The development of the masculinized fingerling of the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) was evaluated under different levels and feeding frequencies during a period of 35 days. Three thousand six hundred Nile tilapia fingerlings (initial average weight of 0.57 ± 0.20 g) were randomly distributed in 18 experimental units (1.6 m³ each), in a completely randomized experimental design in a 3x2 factorial scheme, with three feeding levels (6, 9 and 12% of body weight per day - BWD) and two feeding frequencies (4 and 6 times a day). The fingerlings were fed with mash diet containing 48% crude protein. The different feeding levels significantly influenced (P<0.05) the final average length, final average weight, daily weight growth, specific growth rates and feeding conversion. The fingerlings fed with 9 and 12% of BWD have shown better results on weight gain (9.88 ± 0.71 and 10.65 ± 0.49 g respectively). Fish fed with 6 and 9% of BWD showed better feeding conversion (0.84 ± 0.03 and 1.06 ± 0.07 respectively). The feeding frequency did not influence the development parameters analyzed. Therefore, the best performance of tilapia fingerling was reached with 9% of BWD level, supplied in four daily meals.