Replacement of fish meal with chemically preserved shrimp head in the diets of African catfish, Clarias gariepinus

A 84 day feeding trial was conducted to assess the effect of replacing fish meal with graded levels of shrimp head silage meal on the growth of African catfish Clarias gariepinus. Shrimp heads were chemically preserved for 14 days at a pH range of 3.6-4.7; and used to replace fish meal at 0%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30% and 40% (diets 1-6) in 40% crude protein diets. The diets were fed to triplicate groups of Clarias gariepinus fingerlings (12.2 +/- 0.05 g) in indoor glass tanks at 4% body weight per day. Results indicated that values of feed digestibility, mean weight gain, feed conversion ratio, protein efficiency ratio, and specific growth rate from the fishes fed diets 1-4 were significantly (p<0.05) higher than the values from group of fishes fed diets 5 and 6. Pack cell volume, erythrocytes sedimentation rate, carcass phosphorus and calcium composition were similar (p>0.05) in fishes fed all the diets. Summary of the findings highlights that fish meal can be replaced with up to 20% of chemically ensiled shrimp head meal in the diets of African catfish.