Natasha Nyendwa¹ , Sarah Ng'andwe , Confred G Musuka¹

1 Department of Agriculture and Aquatic Sciences, Kapasa Makasa University, Chinsali, Zambia
2 Department of Environmental Science, Egerton University, Egerton, Kenya
Author    Correspondence author
International Journal of Aquaculture, 2025, Vol. 15, No. 3   
Received: 14 Apr., 2025    Accepted: 19 Jun., 2025    Published: 07 Jul., 2025

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Feed quality plays a critical role in optimizing growth performance and carcass composition in aquaculture. In resource-limited settings, evaluating the potential of locally formulated feeds as alternatives to commercial diets is essential for sustainable fish production. This study assessed the effect of commercial and on-farm formulated feeds on the growth performance and carcass composition of Oreochromis andersonii. The experiment was conducted over a period of nine weeks at Kapasa Makasa University, using a Completely Randomised Design with two treatments: a commercial feed (T1, control) and an on-farm formulated feed (T2). A total of 60 fingerlings with an average initial weight of 3 g were stocked at a density of 10 fish per tank in six identical indoor plastic tanks. Fish were fed a 30% crude protein diet at 8% of the standing biomass, administered twice daily. Growth parameters (weight and length) were measured weekly after a 24-hour fasting period. Water quality parameters were monitored regularly to ensure optimal rearing conditions. The results revealed no significant differences in the final body weight between treatments, with 14.79 g (T1) and 13.74 g (T2), while there was a significant difference in the final mean lengths of 8.98 cm (T1) and 8.33 cm (T2). Survival rates remained at 100% in both treatments. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) was lower in T2 (1.5) compared to T1 (1.9), indicating better feed efficiency in the on-farm formulated diet. Additionally, carcass yield was higher in T2 (45.5%) than in T1 (37%). The findings suggest that on-farm formulated feed can serve as a cost-effective and nutritionally adequate alternative to commercial feed for O. andersonii, supporting its potential use in small-scale aquaculture systems.

Oreochromis andersonii; Growth performance; Carcass composition; On-farm feed; Commercial feed; Feed conversion ratio; Aquaculture