Item Details

Title: An Evaluation of Water Pellet Stability of two Iso-proteineous Floating and Sinking Diets

Date Published: Oct. 28, 2020
Author/s: Thaddeus Zaabwe, Wales Singini, Jeremiah Kang’ombe, Fanuel Kapute and David Mbamba
Data publication:
Funding Agency :
Copyright/patents/trade marks:
Journal Publisher: Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biology & Fisheries
Affiliation: Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Mzuzu University, Mzuzu, Malawi
Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries Science, Lilongwe University of Agriculture and
Natural Resources, Bunda College Campus, Lilongwe, Malawi
National Agricultural Research Organisation, Bulindi Zonal Agricultural Research and
Development Institute, Hoima, Uganda
Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development, Department of Fisheries, Lilongwe
Keywords: Fish feed; Water Pellet Stability; Floating diets; Sinking diets; Aquaculture

Abstract:

Nutrient leaching from fish feeds when subjected to water in aquaculture
systems leads to fish missing out on essential nutrients, thus minimized fish growth. A laboratory experiment was conducted to evaluate the water pellet stability of two iso-proteins (32%) fish feeds. The experiment was arranged in a completely randomized block design (CRBD) with 3 replicates of each time-duration. Floating and sinking pellets were subjected to water stability tests at different time durations of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 minutes. Thirty-six borosilicate beakers (250 ml) were used. The beakers were each filled with 150 ml of tap water. Two-gram pellets of each diet were immersed in water-filled beakers, after which were stirred one revolt every minute to mimic disturbance while feeding. Results showed a significant interaction between diets and time duration
F(5,24) = 7.298, p < .001. Significant differences were observed in the feed,
F(1,24) = 574.877, p < .001 and Duration F(5, 24) = 58.077, p < .001. A strong positive correlation between feed and water pellet stability (R = 0.78),
p < .001 was observed. The highest stabilities recorded were 90.05 ± 0.20% and 83.08 ± 0.20% for sinking and floating feeds, respectively. Improving on the efficiency of pelleting fish feeds together with different trials is paramount. Aqua feeds’ water stability is affected by duration, thus, a pre-requisite in fish farming.