Supplementation of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) seed as feed additive for improved performance of juvenile African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) (Burchell, 1822)

The present study examined the utilization potential of date palm seed (DPS) as feed additive in the diet of African catfish Clarias gariepinus for efficient feed utilization. A total of 150 African catfish (weight ranged from 81.13 to 91.35 g) were divided into five experimental groups. The experiment was conducted for 70 days. Experimental diets were identical in all composition except for the variation in DPS level. Non-inclusion of DPS was used at 0% (control) and other levels are 0.5% (diet 2), 1.0% (diet 3), 1.5% (diet 4) and 2.0% (diet 5). The growth performance and nutrient utilization of African catfish including Weight Gain (WG), Specific Growth Rate (SGR), Protein Efficiency Ratio (PER) and Protein Productive Value (PPV) were significantly (p<0.05) higher than those of fish fed control diets, where DPS supplementation at 1.5% appears to be generally higher than other levels. In the same trend fish fed diets with DPS supplementation produced improved fish carcass values and the haematology of fish was generally better from diets in all DPS fed fish. Overall production performance and subsequent fish quality assessments indicated that the diets containing 1.5% DPS level recorded the best performance in African catfish compared to other levels including the control diet. Based on the result of the present study, it is concluded that date palm seed supplementation positively influenced growth performance and feed utilization of African catfish as well as ensuring their healthy status.