The protein sparing effects of lipid in African catfish (Clarias gariepinus (Burchell 1822)

Abstract

A feeding trial was conducted to determine the protein sparing effects of three lipid sources (fish oil, palm oil and groundnut oil) in Clarias gariepinus. 150 fingerlings of mean weight 2.50±0.04 were allotted at random in a group of 15 fish per tank in triplicate. They were fed nine experimental diets and a commercial reference diet for 8 weeks. The experimental diets contained three levels of three sources of lipid and three levels of crude protein. There were significant differences (p<0.05) in the growth parameters measured. The groundnut oil spared most the protein at highest level of inclusion (20%) followed by palm oil (15%) while the fish oil least spared the protein.