Fish feed ingredients and additives – Classification, composition and anti-nutritional factors

Ingredients are the basic raw materials of fish feeds. No single feed ingredient is nutritionally complete and can supply the nutrients and energy required for growth of fish. Therefore, a mixture of ingredients in a carefully formulated feed can provide balanced levels of nutrients and energy for optimum growth performance

Components of a Fish Feed Mill

The design of a feed mill depends on the intended production capacity. For a small scale feed mill (20-50 kg feed production per day), a total area of around 3000 sq. ft will be sufficient, while medium and large feed mills require more area. The major components of a feed mill are (i) Building and (ii) Equipment/ Machiner

Storage and quality assessment of ingredients and formulated feeds

Appropriate storage of ingredients and feeds is an important aspect in feed manufacturing process. Good storage is essential because the value of the feed presented to fish depends on it. Feed spoils during storage and the extend of deterioration depends very largely on the storage conditions. Since fish feeds usually contain relatively high amounts of fish meal and/or fish oil, they are very much susceptible to rancidity. In addition, loss of certain nutrients occurs during prolonged periods of storage. For these reasons, fish feeds should not be stored for longer periods (not more than 3 months). Ingredients and feeds should be stored in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight

An indigenous system for collection of Black soldierfly pupae and its nutritional evaluation for making fish feeds

Black soldierfly (BSF) pupae can be utilized as an excellent means for the bioconversion of organic wastes into high value sustainable protein and lipid ingredient for aquaculture. The life cycle of this insect begins with eggs laid in clutches of approximately 500 numbers. The eggs are about 1 mm in size and hatch into larvae within 4 days to two weeks. The larva feeds on organic waste and metamorphose into a pre-pupa, normally within 2 weeks which is the most nutrient rich stage in the BSF life cycle. At this stage it can be harvested periodically and converted into a feed ingredient for aquaculture. An indigenous small-scale system for the production of BSF by utilizing waste food from the departmental canteen of ICAR-CMFRI was attempte

Evaluation of the Quality of Commercial Fish Feeds in India with Respect to Microbiological Parameters

This paper describes the first comprehensive study of the quality of commercial fish feeds in India with regard to microbiological indices. Quality of feed is an important parameter that has a direct impact on the outcome of any aquaculture system. Microbiological parameters such as total plate count (TPC), Escherichia coli (CFUg-1), coliformes (CFUg-1), Enterobacteriaceae (CFUg-1) and yeast and mould (CFUg-1) counts were analysed using 3M™ Petrifilm™ as per guidelines. The TPC ranged from 2.0 × 102 to3.13 × 104 CFUg-1 in different feeds. Presence of E. coli was detected in one of the feeds with 1.15×102 CFUg-1. Coliform bacteria were not detected in any of the feeds. Enterobacteriaceae was present in three feeds in the range of 5.45 × 102 to 1.58×103 CFUg-1. Yeast and mould count ranged from <10 to 1.68 × 104 CFUg-1 in the feeds analyzed. The results obtained from the present study indicate that the feeds were contaminated with micro-organisms. As far as Indian scenario is concerned, there exist several feed companies which do not comply with the quality regulations and specifications as laid down by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). In addition, specifications are not available for aqua feeds regarding the acceptable levels of microbiological parameters. Hence the present study calls for a standardized code of quality to be observed by feed manufacturing companies for quality products

Effect of dietary supplementation of cassia auriculata leaf powder on growth and immune responses of milkfish, Chanos chanos

A 30 days feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of Cassia auriculata leaf powder on growth and immunomological parameters of the juveniles of Milkfish, Chanos chanos and disease resistance against Vibrio anguillarum. The juvenile fishes with an average weight of 20±3 g were stocked in four treatments each with three replicates. Four practical diets were prepared with graded level of Cassia auriculata leaf powder (CAL) at the rate of 0%, 0.5%, 1% and 1.5% and fed to four treatments respectively named as CAL0, CAL0.5, CAL1 and CAL1.5. At the end of the experiment blood samples were collected for immunological parameters. After sampling, the remaining fishes were challenged with 0.1 mL of virulent V. anguillarum suspension at a concentration of 107 CFU mL-1 and mortality was observed for 7 days. Post challenge sampling was performed for the collection of blood samples. The growth parameters such as Weight gain%, SGR%, PER were positively affected by Cassia auriculata leaf powder incorporated diet. Higher weight gain %, SGR% and PER were noticed in CAL1.5 group followed by CAL1, CAL0.5 and CAL0. The respiratory burst, lysozyme and phagocytic activities were increased with increasing level of CAL in the diet which indicates better immune response of the fishes fed with CAL. The higher respiratory burst (0.522 ± 0.03), lysozyme (70.07 ± 1.57) and phagocytic (52.91 ± 1.76) activitieswere observed in CAL1.5, CAL1 and CAL1.5 groups respectively during pre-challenge and post challenge. There was significant difference in the survival rate of control (CAL0) and CAL incorporated diet fed groups (P<0.05). Maximum survival was witnessed in CAL1 followed by CAL1.5 and least survival was in CAL0 group. The results indicate that diets supplemented with 1% CAL potentially enhance the immune system and effectively protects the host against V. anguillarum infection and thereby improve the survivability of the fish against this dreadful pathogen

Effect of lime, dolomite and gypsum on phosphorous reduction potential in freshwater

A fifteen days experiment was conducted with the application of different agrochemicals such as lime, dolomite and gypsum in two levels to find out the phosphorous reduction potential of these chemicals at laboratory. Among the 3 agrochemicals gypsum showed better phosphorous reduction at the dose of 40 mg/L followed by dolomite had comparatively high phosphorous reduction than lime application. The water quality parameters indicates that application of these chemicals at the rate of 20 and 40 mg/L dose level did not produce any adverse condition on the pH, alkalinity and hardness values. Hence, application of gypsum at the rate of 40 mg/L is recommended for use in aquaculture ponds to reduce the phosphorous load in the wate

Indigenous Re-circulatory Aquaculture System (i-RAS) developed for fish nutrition research

Fish nutrition research is an integral part of aquaculture research. The nutrition research requires a well equipped wet laboratory to conduct research in an effective manner for acceptable research findings. Adequate quantity and quality of water is a prerequisite for research in aquaculture. Also, maintenance of water quality parameters in the optimum range is crucial for the well-being of fish kept in the experimental system

Development of feed for blue swimmer crab, Portunus pelagicus to reduce the dependency on fresh feeds for sustainable mariculture

Development of feed for blue swimmer crab, Portunus pelagicus to reduce the dependency on fresh feeds for sustainable maricultur

Ethics and humane practices of bleeding and euthanasia for experimental marine fishes in fish nutrition research

Scientific research in fish consisting haematological, biochemical, bacteriological, parasitological, toxicological, immunological, somatic measurements, tagging, digital photography for morphometrics and reproductive investigations requires anaesthetization. An overdose of anaesthetic is also an effective method to euthanize fish humanely whenever necessary. The recommendations of universal ethical committee mentions that the fish should be relieved of pain (analgesia) through block of pain perception with or without the retention of other sensory abilities while collecting the blood or euthanasia