Abstract

The present experiment was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of dietary protein from maggot meal and earthworm meal to replace fish meal protein in Oreochromis niloticus juvenile feed. The fish used for this experiment come from the experience of the larval phase during which fish were fed with the formulated diets [fish diet (FD), maggot diet (MD) and earthworm diet (ED)] content 40% crude protein and the commercial diet (CD) content 34.5% crude protein. At the end of this larval phase, the average weights were 0.75 ± 1.93, 0.71 ± 3.55, 0.55 ± 2.52, 0.62 ± 2.52 g for FD, MD, ED and CD respectively. These different weights constitute the initials weights for this experience. In this experimental, the formulated diets (FD, MD and ED) content 30% crude protein and 29.5% crude protein for CD. Fish were fed four times daily to triplicate groups at 10.7% body weight for consecutive 90 days. After these days, fish fed with FD gave significantly higher average daily gain (ADG, 0.3 ± 0.03 g.day-1) than MD (0.22 ± 0.18 g.day-1). Fish fed with ED had the lowest ADG (0.14 ± 0.12 g.day-1). The specific growth rate (SGR) were higher in fish group fed with FD, MD and CD and shows no significant difference (p > 0.05) compared to ED. Feed conversion ratio (FCR), protein efficiency ratio (PER) and survival rate (SR) show no significant difference (p > 0.05) in the all test. The production cost of 1 kg of fish (PC) and the carcass chemicals composition were evaluated. In conclusion, these results of this study indicate the possibility of completely using maggot meal as a source protein in the diet of O. niloticus juvenile to increase the growth of fish and reduce the cost of 1 kg of fish produced.

Key words: Ivory Coast, fish nutrition, replace fishmeal, invertebrates meal, zootechnic, economics parameters.