Post on 24-Jun-2020
Up-Scaling of Carp Feed and Feeding.......�
103
5.1 INTRODUCTION
Fish requires food to grow, reproduction and for good health. Fish
becomes healthy only by the appropriate proportion of nutrients in their diet.
Fish feed should be well balanced and should be formulated according to the
need of the cultured fish. Nutrients are classified as protein, carbohydrate, fats,
vitamins and minerals. Fish feed is main factor for fish production and it should
have various properties according to the target species (Santhana et al., 2000).
Aquaculture is feed based industry, over 60% of operational cost coming
only from feed sources with shifting from extensive to semi- intensive or
intensive farming, depending on farm animals on exogenous feed supply in
more and more pronounced as the standing crop of culture species exceeds, the
natural feeding capacity of the pond. The artificial feed balanced with protein,
lipid, carbohydrate, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and containing optimum
protein/energy ration is the common practice for better yield.
The fish farmers are not very well aware about the suitable feed
ingredients and their proportion in the formulated feed diet. The general feed
ingredients being used by fish farmer including rice bran, rice polish, oil cake
and groundnut oil cakes and husk etc. A small number of fish farmers are using
minerals and vitamins in supplements available feed in the market. In balanced
fish feed, the animal protein plays an important role in production.
Keep in view, reducing the feed cost and ultimately production cost of
fish for better return, there is an urgent need of some non-conventional feed
ingredients in the diet of fish.
5.2 REQUIREMENTS OF DIFFERENT NUTRIENTS IN FISH DIET
Fish require the nutrients, as same as required by other animals. The main
nutrients are protein, carbohydrate, lipid, vitamin, and minerals. The demand of
these elements for the preparation and selection of artificial fish feeds.
Estelar
Up-Scaling of Carp Feed and Feeding.......�
104
5.2.1 Protein
Protein is the basic nutrient for all living things. It constitutes the most
important dietary component among the various food nutrients, as it is essential
for maintaining life and promoting growth. Protein taken by fish is decomposed
into amino acids through enzyme in the digestive organs. The amino acids are
absorbed internally and synthesized into fish protein for growing mending
tissues and maintaining life activities. It is used as energy for fish activities
when fats and carbohydrate are not sufficient. The demand of fish for protein
content in their diet is generally 25-40%. It is higher than the demand of
terrestrial animals like chicken/pig/cattle, which is 12-17% (Joshi, et al., 2010).
Since fish is cold blooded animal without need of maintaining body
temperature, they require minimum energy comparatively. Different fish have
different feeding habits, so their requirement for protein contents in feed is also
different. Carnivorous fishes like rainbow trout and eel need higher protein
content while herbivorous fishes need comparatively lower protein content.
The nutritional value of food depends not only on the quantity of protein
but also on the amino acids profile. Amino acids are composed of carbon,
hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and sometimes sulfur. The researchers have proved
that several amino acids must be fully prepared into the feed and are necessary
for fish growth. These amino acids are termed essential amino acids while other
amino acids, which may not exists or may be just a little in feeds, are called not
essential amino acids because they are needed only in small quantity and can be
synthesized internally. These ten amino acids must be included in fish feed for
their satisfactory development and growth. Besides, the proportion between
different essential amino acids in protein must confirm the nutritional
requirement of fish, which is dependent on the composition of amino acids in
fish protein, so the proportion of all essential amino acids of fish may be
referred to the composition of fish body protein.
Estelar
Up-Scaling of Carp Feed and Feeding.......�
105
Thirty per cent protein level is optimum for growth of carp fingerlings,
also observed by Renukardhya and Varghese (1986); Gangadhar et al. (1997);
Rangacharyulu et al. (2000); Paul and Mohanty (2002). The growth of rohu,
common carp fingerlings in the experiment with various dietary protein levels
differed significantly. Renukardhya and Varghese (1986) reported that a level
of 30% protein in the diet was optimum for the good growth of Cirrhinus
mrigala. The optimum dietary protein requirement for fingerlings of Catla
catla was 35%. Fish is accepted universally as a rich source of nutrition
(Naylor et al., 2000). Protein requirement decreases with increasing body
weight (Pandian, 1989). Pandian (1987) advocated that protein requirement of
fish is uniformly high, mostly in the range of 32 to 40%. Fish feeds daily 2-3%
of their body weight (Seenappa, 2000).
Protein is expensive and hence becoming a dearer commodity for biotic
organisms. The dietary proteins requirements for a particular species or a group
of spices are different. But, De Silva and Gunasekera (1989) observed that
differences in optimal protein requirement within a group are vary narrow.
Much work has been done on the nutritional requirements of various fish
species but studies on the role of microbial community especially of fermented
feeds are scanty (Pullin, 1987; Shrinivasan 1987, Ayyapan et al., 1990).
However, studies have shown quite significant impact of microbial
communities on the growth of fish (Malik, 1992; Kumar, 1994,; Sharma and
Kumar, 1998; Kumar and Sharma 1999). All feeds either pelleted or not, are
being prepared by mixing various ingredients. However, by due to poor water
stability most of the feed settle down to the bottom of fish pond causing
economical loss to the fish farmer. The fermented feed is more nutrient rich
compared to the non-fermented one and exhibits a more favorable impact on
the fish growth (Kishan, 2000).
Estelar
Up-Scaling of Carp Feed and Feeding.......�
106
5.2.2 Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are the cheapest and most abundant source of energy in
fish feed. This occurs in three basic forms i.e. Sugar, Starch and Fibre. Sugars
are highly soluble in mono and disaccharides such as glucose and sucrose.
These are usually found in low levels in food stuff. Carbohydrate remain in the
fish feed in the range of 15-45%. Carbohydrates are decomposed into
monosaccharide by digestion and utilized by fish body. In the organic body it is
decomposed through oxidization into carbon dioxide and water and releasing
energy. Generally, fish are diabetic and don’t use much carbohydrate of the diet
for their metabolism. Carbohydrate is conveyed into livers and mussels as
glycogen form preserved the time being and the remaining part may be
converted into fats, to be cumulated for life maintenance in case of shortage of
food or stoppage of food tacking. Cellulose is also a kind of carbohydrate,
which is major component of plant cell wall. Among the cultivable fishes, only
few species like Tilapia and milk fish can digest cellulose at a rather low
utilization rate. It is believed that Cyprinids have lacking the cellulolytic
enzyme. In consequence, they are unable to utilize cellulose.
5.2.3 Lipids
Lipids are an important nutrient in the diet as a source of energy, carriers
of vitamins, essentials fatty acids, sterol and phospholipids. Lipids also impart
necessary flavour and thus may increase feed palatability. Each g. of fat
delivers 9 kilocalories of applicable heat. Fats are decomposed in digestive
tracts into fatty acids and glycerol which can be absorbed. After absorption, the
body fats are synthesized from the excessive fatty acid and glycerol, strong in
subcutaneous tissues, muscles, spaces between connective tissues and the
abdominal cavity.
Estelar
Up-Scaling of Carp Feed and Feeding.......�
107
5.2.4 Vitamins
Vitamins are organic compounds and required in traces in the functions
of most forms of life. Vitamin requirements are affected by the size, age,
growth rate, physiological conditions, health status, and nutrient composition of
the diet, feed, environmental conditions and also the availability of vitamins
from natural food and gut microbial contributions. A number of vitamins take
part in the process of metabolism. Vitamin B1 of body carbohydrate, vitamin B
6 of proteins, vitamin C synthesis of body protein of animals, and vitamin D,
for normal metabolism of calcium and phosphorous, promoting the formation
of skeleton. As such, it is difficult to determine the exact amount of various
vitamins required by fish. However, on the basis of the practical state fresh
feeds are added to make up the deficiency of vitamins.
5.2.5 Minerals
Fish also have dietary requirements of minerals as like in higher
vertebrates, such as calcium, sodium, magnesium, potassium, chlorine, sulfur
and trace elements of iron, copper, zinc, cobalt, iodine, manganese, nickel,
fluorine etc. These are the important regulator of physiological process; need to
provide strength and rigidity to bone in fish and to maintain acid-base
equilibrium and osmotic relationship with the aquatic environment. Diet is the
main source of minerals, although some minerals are absorbed from the
environment. Non-availability of adequate qualities of minerals affects growth
and may cause irrecoverable deficiency disease. Minerals in the diet may
enhance the utilization of carbohydrate by fish; accelerate the growth of fish
tissues like skeleton and muscles. Improve their appetite and speed up the
growth of fish body.
Estelar
Up-Scaling of Carp Feed and Feeding.......�
108
5.3 FEEDING HABIT OF THE TESTED FISH SPECIES
5.3.1 Silver carp
Silver carp is a pelagophil and planktophagus species. Larval stages
feeds on unicellular algae, fry and adult fish subsist on flagellate,
dinoflagellata, myxophycae, bacillariophycae, protozoa and rotifera
supplemented with decayed macrovegetation and detritus. When kept in ponds,
it thrives well on artificial feeds, such as bone meal, rice bran and flour (Hora
and Pillay, 1962). The post larvae feeds on zooplankton and, on reaching 1.5
cm in length, the fry begin to feed on phytoplankton. The fish shows certain
anatomical and morphological modifications correlated with its micro-
planktophagous feeding habit.
5.3.2 Grass carp
Grass carp, also known as ‘White Amur’ in Russia. According to
Nikol’skii (1956), grass carp of length greater then 30 mm is almost
exclusively a vegetarian. In the case of smaller fry, the diet may comprise
rotifers, crustaceans, unicellular algae and occasionally chironomid larvae.
Macrophytes material is first eaten at the size of 17 to 18 mm. and at this size
the importance of rotifers in the diet declines and that of chironomids increases.
In India, the fry of grass carp at 25 to 27 mm. size have been observed to accept
wolffia as feed. At 27 mm. length, macro vegetation forms the bulk of its diet,
and at the size of 30 mm upward, the fish, as stated above, is completely
herbivore. According to Hora and Pillay (1962), the fish at 25 mm. size can
readily take rice bran, bean meal and dried cow dung, oilcake, silkworm pupae,
kitchen refuse, soil and dung are often given as supplementary feed. Stroganov
(1967) stated that food ingestion of grass carp at low temperature (3-9 0C) is
irregular and may increase if the temperature rises by 3-4 0C. Feeding becomes
intensive at temperature above 16 0C, the fish consuming a wide range of
aquatic plants.
Estelar
Up-Scaling of Carp Feed and Feeding.......�
109
5.3.3 Common carp
Cyprinus carpio is the world-wide most extensively cultivated species.
Although exotic to India, it is already being cultivated in the country singly as
well as along with Indian major carps. The fish is voraciously omnivorous;
efficiently converting the food ingested into flesh, grows very fast and is prone
to artificial feed. It is non-predatory, when cultured along with major carps; it
competes for food mostly with mrigal and kalbasu.
5.4 TYPES OF FISH FEED INGREDIENTS
5.4.1 Plant origin feed ingredients
Cereal Grains: Soybean, wheat, and maize are commonly used grain feeds.
Soybean, which is a nutritional food, contains at least 38% crude protein and is
rich in essential amino acids. Soybeans are usually ground up into “bean milk”
for feeding to fry. About 5-7 kg of soybeans can supply the milk required to
raise 10,000 fish from fry to fingerlings. Some bean milk particles are directly
consumed by the fry but most become fertilizer for the proliferation of
plankton. For grass carp brooders, wheat and rice sprouts are often supplied.
These grains are rich in vitamins, especially vitamin E, which is beneficial to
gonad development. For granulated feeds, wheat powder is often used as a
binder.
Oil Cakes: Oil cakes are by-products of oil plants, after oil pressing. Bean
cakes, peanut cakes, cotton seed cakes, mustard cake, and rapeseed cakes are
often used in fish farming. This type of feed is rich in crude protein (30-40%).
If cakes are used to fry feed, they must be broken into pieces, soaked, and
ground up into milk. About 150–200 kg of cake is needed to nurture 10,000
fingerlings with body length greater than 10 cm. Cotton seed cakes are
commonly used in carp culture in the USA and the USSR. This is not so
common in China. However, China is cotton-producing country and the use of
Estelar
Up-Scaling of Carp Feed and Feeding.......�
110
cotton seed cake as a fish feed shows great potential. There is a little gossypol
in cotton seed cakes, which is detrimental to livestock, but harmless to fish.
Wheat bran: Wheat bran is a by-product of the rice and wheat processing
industry and is rich in vitamin B, apart from crude proteins, fats, and
carbohydrates, it is an important ingredient of compound feeds.
Green fodder: Green fodders include aquatic plants and terrestrial plants and
are mainly used as feed for grass carp and breams and, sometimes, for common
carp, crucian carp, and tilapia. The main aquatic plants used are Wolffia
arrhiza, Lemna minor, Vallisneria spiralis, Potamogeton malainus,
Potamogeton maackianus, Hydrilla verticillata, Eichhornia crassipes, Pistia
stratiotes, and Alternanthera philoxeroides. The main terrestrial plants used are
Echinochloa crusgalli, Pennisetum alopecuroides, Lolium perenne, Sorghum
sudanense, Pennisetum purpurlum of the grass family; Lactuca tenticulata of
the composite family; and various leaves and vines from melon and vegetable
crops. Water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes), water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes),
and alligator weed (Alternanthera philoxeroides) must be minced or fermented
before they are given to the fish. To ferment one of these aquatic plants, 100 kg
is mixed with 3-4 kg rice bran and 0.5 kg yeast; the container is then sealed and
stored for 2 days at 26 °C. Alligator weed sometimes contains saponin, which
is toxic to fish. If, it has been processed by adding, a little table salt (2-5 per
cent concentration), the toxicity is eliminated and the feed becomes palatable.
When these aquatic plants are mashed into a paste with a high-speed masher,
they are appropriate feeds for fry culture. Green fodders contain mostly water
and cellulose. However, they also contain the principal nutrients, i.e. fat,
protein and carbohydrate, and rich in vitamins. Green fodders are the principal
feed for grass carp and serves as supplemental feed for other cultivated fish.
Estelar
Up-Scaling of Carp Feed and Feeding.......�
111
5.4.2 Animal origin feed ingredients
Animal feed have a higher nutritional value than the plant feed because
they give a more complete supply of nutrients and are rich in proteins and
essential amino acids. Among the cultivated fish species in China, most are
herbivorous or omnivorous; the only carnivorous species is black carp.
Common animal feed include fish meal, trash fish, silkworm pupae, fresh-water
shellfish (e.g. Viviparus quadratus and Corbicula fluminea), kitchen waste, and
earthworms. Viviparus quadratus lives in rivers and lakes with a high fecundity
and feeds on epiphytic algae. It has a meat rate of 22-25% and a food-
conversion ratio of 40 for black carp. Corbicula fluminea lives in the clay
bottom of rivers and lakes and is collected with Viviparus quadratus. It has a
meat rate of 13% and a food conversion ratio of 60 for black carp. Both species
are commonly fed to black carp. In most of cases supplementary feed of grow
out fish comprises only oil cakes of mustard/ground nut and rice/wheat bran at
1 : 1 ratio by weight (Tripathi, 1990). Medda et al. (1993) revealed that there is
very specific variation in the relative growth rate of two carp species Catla
catla and Labeo rohita is response to experimental feeding with amino acid and
vitamin enriched diets.
An experiment was conducted by Singh et al. (1986) and found that
fortifications of conventional feed (rice bran, ground nut cake 1:1 ratio) with
little vitamin-mineral premix could increase the efficiency of the feeding more
than 100% for carp fingerlings. Yakupityage et al. (1990) examined the
efficiency of supplementary feeding of Nile tilapia, Silver carp and common
carp with rice bran in duck-fish integration system. Supplementary rice bran at
1% body weight per day significantly improved the growth of all species,
although higher percentage of feeding of rice barn has no influence on fish
yield. Asia accounts for over 80% of the world’s fish production (De Silva and
Davy, 1992). In the light of conflicting demand for land and water, fish culture
Estelar
Up-Scaling of Carp Feed and Feeding.......�
112
practices need to be intensified to varying degrees, mostly through increasing
levels of supplemental feeding. The feed cost is one of the highest operational
costs (50-60%) in aquaculture. Through, a variety of feed ingredients of both
plant and animal origin are used in preparing artificial diet in intensive culture,
the quantity and quality of protein in the diet were seen to influence fish growth
.In fish much of the protein is converted into flesh during the growth. A variety
of ingredients of plant and animal origin has been screened for in corporation in
supplementary feed for carp and used either singly of in combination
(Lakshmanan et al., 1967). Chakrabarthy (1973) stated that animal protein
based fish diet is very effective for the fish production and given excellent
weight and length gain.
Nandeesha et al. (1991) stated that the growth attained by carps on
slaughter house waste based diet was always higher compared to that fed on
fish meal. Jadhav and Prasad Rao (1991) also reported that goat offal gives best
growth result in carps. Hassan et al. (1999) reported that growth of L. rohita
fingerlings was better with diet having slaughter house waste. Khan and Jafri
(1992) also found that growth of Rohu fingerlings was superior with goat-offal
based diet. Results indicated that conversion efficiency of slaughter house
waste mustard oil cake and rice bran was much higher than the conventional
fish feed consisting of rice bran and mustard oil cake.
5.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF NATURAL FEED AND SUPPLEMENTARY
FEEDING
It is widely accepted that, there are three basic feeding pathways by
which non- organic matter provides nutrition to fish i.e. direct feeding of fish
on the organic matter and feeding along autotrophic and heterotrophic
pathways which develop as a results of the fertilization of the pond by the
organic matter (Wohlfarh and Hulata, 1987). Among these, the heterotrophic
pathway has received considerable attention and it has been stated that, it is of
Estelar
Up-Scaling of Carp Feed and Feeding.......�
113
greater importance in aquaculture than the autotrophic pathway (Schroeder
1977; Schroeder 1978; Wohlfarth and Schroeder 1979; Schroeder 1980).
The plankton community is an important component of aquatic eco-system
(Wetzel 1983). The studies of this complex community are wide ranging in their
application to the system as a whole including structure of the plankton (Rounick
and Winterbourn, 1983; Collier and Winterbourn, 1990), productivity (Elwood
and Nelson, 1972), herbivory and trophic status (Benke and Wallace, 1980; Hill
and Harvey, 1990). In natural communities, plankton contributes significantly to
primary production (Minshall, 1978; Cattaneo and Kalff, 1980) and represents
readily available food for many vertebrates (Lamberti and Moore, 1984),
including fish (Power et al., 1985). The abundance, productivity, structure of
plankton communities can be strongly influenced both by nutrient concentration
and herbivore. In addition to fertilizing the ponds for the proliferation of natural
food organisms, artificial feed must be used to meet the demands of various fish
species. Fish feed are the prime material base of aquaculture. Applying artificial
feeds in a fish pond can significantly raise the yield. Production of the Plankton
feeder fish is also enhanced by giving the supplementary feed to the growing fish
in addition to the available natural feed in the form of plankton. The feed is
directly consumed by the so-called feed eaters and, in turn, their excreta act as the
manure in the pond water. This multiplies the natural food organisms of the
plankton feeders. The present study was conducted to standardize the suitable feed
for the testes fish species i.e. silver carp, grass carp and common carp. Lubzens et
al. (1984) reported that adding rotifers to diet of carp larvae increase growth rate
and would allow either faster production of carp larvae from the hatchery, or the
use of larger larvae for stocking outdoor ponds. Sinha and Ramachandran (1985)
described that nursery should have plenty of fish food organism of smaller size
before the hatchlings are stocked. This is important since at that stage the yolk of
the hatching is observed and it starts feeding in nature. Keshavappa et al. (1990)
Estelar
Up-Scaling of Carp Feed and Feeding.......�
114
made comparative study on the survival and growth of common carp from spawn
to fry when fed on soybean flour and conventional feed mixture of rice bran and
groundnut oilcake in fertilized and unfertilized cistern. In fertilized cistern, they
reported an average survival of 60.36% and growth of 6.48 mg. in soybean flour
fed cistern, whereas 31.23% survival and 4.74 mg. gain in weight in cistern fed
with conventional feed. In another experiment, where spawn were stocked in
unfertilized cistern, they reported an average survival of 69.76% and growth of
2.35 mg. with soybean flour and an average survival of 33.53% and growth
increment of 1.95 mg. with conventional feed. Shirgur (1991) explained that
rearing of carp spawn to fry needs continuous provision of suitable zooplankton
organism of desired quality and quantity in the nursery ponds for feeding and
growth. Intensive studies have shown that optimized rearing of carp fry (up to 20
mm. sizes) from spawn stage was possible with in a short cycle of 11 days by
adopting phased fertilization technique. Ovie et al. (1993) stated that the absence
of the natural fish food organism in a hatchery system, where induced breeding of
fish is practiced, requires that these organisms be harnessed in mixed or pure
culture from the wild and intensively cultured in enclosure to ensure their ready
availability to the young fish larvae and fry.
5.6 TYPES OF FEED
The natural food of fish is classified under three groups, i.e. 1-Main
food or the natural food which the fish prefers under favorable conditions and
on which it thrives best. 2-Occasional food or the natural food that is well
liked and consumed as and when available. 3- Emergency food which is
ingested when the preferred food items are not available and on which the fish
is just able to survive. Certain microscopic planktonic crustacean group and
rotifers from the ‘main food’ of spawn and fry (15-20mm. size range) of the
Indian major carps and majority of other cultivable species, with phytoplankton
forming the ‘emergency food’ (Alikunhi, 1952). Spawn and fry with a small
Estelar
Up-Scaling of Carp Feed and Feeding.......�
115
and short straight intestine appear to digest rotifers and cladocerans fairly
rapidly and thrive well on zooplankton. Phytoplanktonic algae are not so easily
digested and, at least, some algal forms (euglena, phacus, eudorina, oscillaroria,
microcystis, filamentous green algae, etc.) remain undigested being ejected
intact along with faecal matter. The food and feeding habits of the fungerlings
of Indian major carps differ markedly from those of their hatchlings and fry.
Nikol’skii (1963) divided food of fishes into four categories according to the
relationship between the fishes and their food. These categories are: (1) basic
food, which the fish usually consumes, comprising the main part of the gut
content; (2) secondary food, which frequently found in the guts of fishes, but in
small amounts; (3) incidental food which only rarely enters the gut; and (4)
obligatory food which the fish consumes in the absence of basic food.
5.7 FORMULATED FEEDS
Formulated feeds are composed of several materials in various
proportions. In fish farming; formulated feeds have the following advantages.
1. The ingredients of formulated feeds can complement one another and raise
the food utilization rate.
2. Proteins can supplement one another improving the essential amino acid
conformation of the feed and raising the protein utilization rate.
3. Food sources can be broadened by mixing feeds disliked by the fish with
other preferred feeds.
4. By adding a binding agent to produce pelleted feeds, the solution of
nutrients in water is diminished and wastage is reduced.
5. Drugs may be mixed into the feeds (indicated feeds) to control fish diseases.
6. Formulated feeds are convenient to transport and preserve; they are suited to
automatic feeding, which can lead toward the mechanization of fish farming.
Estelar
Up-Scaling of Carp Feed and Feeding.......�
116
5.8 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Feeding is a very important part for the successful carp farming in
uplands. Two types of feeding practices are used: (1) machine feeding, which is
used for well-equipped and well managed farm, and (2) hand feeding, which
needs frequent supervision of the ponds, and is used on fish farms with fewer
facilities, in case of polyculture of carp, generally wet feed in the form of feed
balls is used for daily feeding at the rate of 3% of total biomass by placing in
feeding trays or in feeding bags. For the present experiment formulated diet
were prepared by locally available feed ingredients. A separate experimentation
was conducted for evaluating the diet in field conditions. Experiment was
conducted in three FRP tanks (size 1x1x0.7mt.) in outdoor condition at Krishi
Vigyan Kendra, Lohaghat, during the month of May-June, 2008 (60 days).
Three different test diets (Table 17) were formulated with locally available feed
ingredients like Rice bran, Mustered Oil cake, Madua flour and Soybean cake
with their proximate composition (Table 18). All the tested diets having
different feed ingredients composition were analyzed for their proximate
composition (Table 19). Data on the proximate composition reflected that there
was not any significant difference in the level of nutritive elements of all diets.
Protein level in the all diets was found in the range of 27.4-30% with almost
similar level of other elements.
Table 19 shows that data on growth performance revealed that feed D3
having 30% protein and 7.9% lipid is best among the all 3 tested diets having
the feed ingredients- rice bran, Mustard oil cake, Madua flour (Ragi), Soybean
cake and mineral and vitamin mixture. In the feeding trial of 2 months with the
diet D3, net weight was gained 55.78 gm with 95% survival and 3.1 FCR
(Table 20).
Estelar
Up-Scaling of Carp Feed and Feeding.......�
117
Table 17: Composition of different test diets.
Diet Ingredients Ratio Qty. in 1 kg.
D1 Rice bran 49 490gm
Mustard oil cake 49 490gm
Mineral mixture 2 20gm
D2 Rice bran 30 300gm
Mustard oil cake 48 480gm
Madua flour 20 200gm
Mineral mixture 2 20gm
D3 Rice bran 33 330gm
Mustard oil cake 35 350gm
Madua flour 20 200gm
Soybean cake 10 100gm
Mineral mixture 2 20gm
Table 18: Proximate composition of major feed ingredients
All the values are per 100g. Feed
ingredients Protein (g.) Fat (g.) Fiber (g.)
Rice bran 13.5 16.2 4.3
Ragi (Madua) 7.3 1.3 3.6
Mustard 20.0 39.7 1.8
Soya been 43.2 19.5 3.7
Estelar
Up-Scaling of Carp Feed and Feeding.......�
118
Table 19: Proximate composition of tested carp diets
Carp feed D1 D2 D3
Moisture 3.97 4.24 4.12
Crude protein 27.4 29.2 30.0
Crude lipid 7.5 7.4 7.9
Crude fiber 2.41 2.40 2.42
Total ash 20.66 21.44 20.14
NFE 38.06 35.32 35.42
Table 20: Growth, Survival and FCR of experimental diets.
Carp feed D1 D2 D3
Av. Initial weight (g) 3.2 3.05 3.11
Av. Final weight (g) 27.45 35.19 58.89
Av. Net wt. gain (g) 24.25 32.14 55.78
Av. Initial length (mm) 59.58 59.58 59.78
Av. Final length (mm) 124.46 143.4 159.08
Survival (%) 90 85 95
FCR 3.8 3.2 3.1
Estelar
Up-Scaling of Carp Feed and Feeding.......�
119
The value of Specific Growth Rate is used to compare growth on a daily
basis. Higher growth and specific growth rate (3.46) indicates that the D3 is
superior over the other tested diets. Several scientists have also applied SGR as
growth index in different nutritional studies Dinesh (2004) and Pandey (2005).
Several scientists have calculated ponderal index or condition factor of
different fishes i.e. 0.73 to 0.95 in Tor putitora (Pathani and Das, 1980),
1.03-1.31 in Salmo trutta fario (Kumar et al., 1979) and 1.20-1.34) in
Salvelinus namayeush (Oosten and Eshneryer, 1956). Kumar et al., (1979)
concluded that the value of condition factor as about one is considered to be of
its average weight. The values of K in present study were recorded in the range
of 1.6 to 2.2 showed that the fishes of experimental unit are more robust (Table
21). The value of the AE for different 3 diets were in the range of 76.34-78.24
with highest for the diet D3, and the value of the PER for different 3 diets were
in the range of 24-29 with highest for the diet D3 (Table 22).
Table-21: Specific growth rate and condition factors of experimental diets
Test diets S.G.R. C.F.
D1 2.53 1.6
D2 3.41 2.2
D3 3.46 2.1
Table-22: Assimilation efficiency and Protein efficiency ratio of
experimental diets
Test diets A.E P.E.R
D1 76.34 24
D2 77.82 27
D3 78.24 29
Estelar
Up-Scaling of Carp Feed and Feeding.......�
120
Table 23: Plankton composition and distribution pattern in trial ponds
Months
Species Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov
Phytoplankton
(A) Chlorophyceae
Pediastrum spp. + + + + + +
Chlamydmonas sp. + + + + + + + + + +
Scenedesmus spp. + + + + + +
Chlorella spp. + + + + + + +
Pendorina + + + + + +
(B) Bacillariophyceae
Navicula spp. + + + + + + + + + +
Tabelaria. + + + + + + + + + +
Pinnularia sp. + + + +
(C) Cynophyceae
Microcistis sp. + + + +
Anabaena sp. + + + + + + + +
oscillatoria. + + +
Zooplankton
(A) Rotifera
Brachionus spp. + + + + + + + +
Keratella spp. + + + +
(B) Cladocera
Daphnia spp. + + + + + + + + +
(C) Copepoda
Cyclops spp. + + + + + + +
Microcyclopes sp. + + + + + +
Estelar
Up-Scaling of Carp Feed and Feeding.......�
121
5.8.1 Plankton recorded
The natural food of the carps, plankton were analyzed and identified as
11 phytoplankton and 5 species of zooplankton were recorded. Out of 11
species, 5 species belongs to Chlorophyceae, 3 species belongs to
Bacillariophyceae and 3 species were belongs to Cynophyceae. Zooplankton
species were recorded as 2 species of Rotifera, 1 species from Cladocera and 2
species of Copepoda. Abundance of the natural food in the form of Plankton in
the trial ponds is the key factor for optimum growth of the fish.
The most common phytoplankton species comprised as Chlorella vulgaris,
Scendesmus species, Chlamydomonas sp., Pediastrum and Pendorina
(Chlorophyceae grou) Naviculla, Pinnularia sp. and Tabellaria,(Bacillariophyceae
group) and Microcistis sp, Oscilatoria and Anabaena sp. (Cynophyceae group).
Brachionus, Keratella, Daphnia, Cyclops and Microcyclopes sp. were the common
zooplankton in the experimental ponds during the study period (Table 23).
Species composition was not significantly different in different
experimental Ponds at the same location. But, the seasonal abundance and
count of the different species was significantly different. Under the group
Chlorophyceae, Chlamydomonas sp. and Chlorella sp. was dominant round the
year. In Bacillariophyceae group, Navicula spp. and Tabelaria, and in
Cynophyceae group, Anabaena sp. was the dominant species. Brachionus spp.
and Daphnia spp. were dominant zooplankton in the all ponds. Two peaks of
the plankton population were observed during the period of September to
November, and March to May. The total plankton volume varied from 1.6-3.2
ml/50 lit. in different experimental ponds. Maximum value was observed
during March to April in all ponds. Similar fluctuation pattern was observed in
total phytoplankton count. Total density was varied from 210-3700 nos./ltr.
Estelar