Effects of feeding pellets, live earthworms and tilapia on the growth of African sharptooth catfish fingerlings

The objective of the study was to evaluate the effects of feeding live earthworms (Eisenia foetida) (Savigny, 1826) (Musyoka et al., 2020) and tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) (Peters, 1852) (Russell et al., 2012) on the growth rate of African sharptooth catfish (Clarias gariepinus) (Burchell, 1822) (Dadebo et al., 2014) fingerlings. Approximately 300 African catfish fingerlings (5 g) were stocked in 16 circular tanks (1000 L) inside an indoor system. The tanks were divided into three groups of treatments (pellets, earthworms and tilapia) with four replicates. The fish were left to acclimatize for a week before the experiment began. The fish were weighed individually each week until the end of the experiment. The results showed that growth differed between catfish fed tilapia fish and those fed pellets and earthworm. There were no differences in average weight gain, specific growth rate, and food conversion ratio between treatment groups. Survival rates differed in catfish fed pellets compared with tilapia and earthworms. Catfish fed tilapia obtained high cumulative feed intake at the end of the experiment. At the end of the experiment, the fingerlings differed in weight between the treatments and their weight was correlated positively with depth. It was concluded that tilapia improved the growth of catfish fingerlings the most and could be a solution for rural farmers who have limited access to fishmeal and feed formulation expertise to maximize productivity.