Effect of Different Dietary Inclusion Levels of Melon Seed (Citrullus lanatus) Peel on Growth, Haematology and Histology of Oroechromis niloticus Juvenile

High demand and expensive nature of conventional basal feed stuffs used in fish diet has led to search for alternative and cheap basal feed sources. This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of melon seed peel on growth, haematology and histology of Oroechromis niloticus. 150 Oroechromis niloticus juveniles (25.24 +/- 1.72g) were assigned to varying dietary levels of melon seed peel (MSP) namely 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100% as diet treatments. Each treatment had ten fish per tank and was triplicated. Fish were fed twice daily at 5% body weight for 56 days. Fish were weighed at the end of the experiment. Blood samples from each treatment were collected for haematological examination. Histology of fish intestine was examined. Data obtained were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA). Significant differences (p<0.05) were observed in all the growth and haematological parameters. Treatment 5 had the best growth performance compared to other treatments and control. PCV and Hb values were found to be highest in treatment 5 followed by control. Histological examination revealed that 100% (treatment 5) dietary inclusion level of MSP had no deleterious effect on the fish while 25% dietary inclusion showed mild changes in the structure of the villi found in the epithelial mucosa of fish intestine. 100 % dietary inclusion level of MSP is recommended in the diet of Oroechromis niloticus.