ABSTRACT

An eight week study was carried out to determine the Growth performance and Nutrient Utilization of Clarias gariepinus fingerlings fed graded level of Mucuna conchichinensis. The diet four or treatment four (control) had no mucuna but 30.21% of fishmeal and treatment three had no fishmeal but 30.21% mucuna, while treatment one and two had 10% and 20% of mucuna respectively. The test diet were assigned induplicate in completely randomized design (CR.!)) to groups of 5 C/arias gariepinus fingerling in 25 litres plastic vat. The fishes were fed at 5% body weight twice a day for 56 days and water was replaced every 3 days while sampling to know the weight and the growth performance was taken weekly for computation of the weight gain, specific growth rate survival rate, feed conversion ratio feed intake. Data was analyzed using statistical analysis for simple software. After 56 days of feeding with the experimental diets, it was observed that the percentage survival was higher in treatment 2 and 4 than treatment 1 and 3 and the specific growth rate other fish fed with 30.21% fishmeal which is the control and the test (mucuna) diets were not statistically different (P>0.05). However it was found that the fish fed 30% mucuna had the highest feed conversion ratio than all other treatment even with the control. The results showed that mucuna can be included in the diets of Clarias gariepinus. It also indicated that the inclusion level with substitution by fishmeal could encourage higher growth and can be increase dup to 40% for both the fishmeal and processed mucuna.