Effect of various organic acid supplementation diets on Clarias gariepinus BURCHELL, 1822: Evaluation of growth, survival and feed utilization

Background: The purpose of the current study was to determine the growth status, survival and feed utilization of catfish ( Clarias gariepinus BURCHELL, 1822) fed various organic acid supplementations. Methods: In total, 1600 fish were randomly distributed into 20 tanks and fed different types of diet: A, control diet without organic acid supplementation; B, control diet supplemented with 0.05% formic, acetic, and propionic acid; C, control diet supplemented with 0.1% formic, acetic, and propionic acid; D, control diet supplemented with 0.05% butyric acid; E, control diet supplemented with 0.01% butyric acid. The control diet was a commercial diet, containing 35% crude protein, 8.58% crude fat, and 2.75% fibre. All fish were fed using a satiation method, three times per day for 56 days. At the end of the trial, growth, survival and feed utilization were determined. Water quality parameters during the trial were also measured once a week. Results: Fish fed diet type D had the significantly lowest ( P<0.05) final weight (FW), weight gain (WG), and specific growth rate (SGR) of all diets. Similar FW, WG, and SGR were found for fish fed diets A-C and E. Meanwhile, the feed conversion ratio, feed efficiency, and survival rate of fish were not affected by any types of diet. The water quality parameters were not significantly different between tanks and weeks: dissolved oxygen 6.79-6.81 mg L (-1), pH 7.11-7.19, water temperature 28.97-29.32°C, nitrite (NO (2)) content 0.48- 0.50 mg L (-1), and ammonia (NH (3)) content 0.064-0.066 mg L (-1). Conclusion: The supplementation of 0.05% butyric acid in the diet of C. gariepinus for 56 days reduced the growth performance of the fish. However, supplementation of an organic acid in the diet of C. gariepinus had no impact on feed utilization, survival, and water quality parameters.