The biochemical composition of milt and the effect of its varying
quantity on fertility and hatchability of Clarias gariepinus (African
catfish) eggs were investigated. The study aimed at determining the
right quantity of milt that can be used to fertilize certain quantity
of eggs. The study further examined the effect of varying volume of
milt on the water quality during the incubation of C. gariepinus eggs
in order to provide baseline information on chemical composition, which
can be used as a basis for sperm-mediated gene transfer. Result
obtained from this study showed that 0,035ml of milt gave the best
hatchability 2041±90.9, while 0.175ml of milt gave the least
hatchability 1341± 384.2 .There was a positive significant
correlation between the quantity of milt used and hatchability (P<
0.05) and there was a significant difference among the treatments and
within the hour of the experiment (P< 0.05). The investigation
revealed that the quantity of milt used for artificial reproduction in
fish significantly affect water quality used for incubation (P
<0.05). The higher the quantity of milt, the lower the Dissolved
Oxygen (DO) level, there was equally a buildup of pollutants as the
quantity of milt increased. Biochemical analysis of milt showed that
glucose at a concentration of 8585±6.05mg/l is the major organic
substance that supplies the spermatozoa with energy. Sodium and
chloride are the major electrolytes with 113:7±0.88 mg/l and
100± 1.73mg/l respectively and the pH of the milt was
6.2±0.17mg/l. The albumin content was low, with a mean value of
1.3±0.9mg/l. The glucose level was high having a mean value of
85.0±6.08mg/l and the cholesterol level was equally high with a
mean value of 188.0± 13.67mg/l. The triglyceride content of the
milt was high having a value of 202±19.88mg/l. The highdensity
lipoprotein cholesterol was low, with a mean value of 13± 6.01
when compared with the low density lipoprotein cholesterol which had a
mean value of 134 ± 11.37. There was low motility of sperm in fish
milt which may be due to a number of factors ranging from exposure to
light, to low pH and aerobic breakdown of glucose to supply energy for
the spermatozoan (which is very low)
