FORMULATED FREEZE DRIED TUBIFEX DIETS ON NUTRITIONAL INDICES IN FINGERLINGS OF Catla catla (HAMILTON)

Nutritional quality of fish depends upon the feed supplied. Supplementary feeding is known to increase the carrying capacity of culture system and can enhance the fish production by many folds. Realizing the importance of formulated feeding the present work was designed to supplement freeze dried tubifex along with the normal groundnut oil cake diet, to evaluate the nutritional indices in juveniles of Catla catla fingerlings. Experimental diet – I comprised of groundnut cake combined with freeze dried tubifex. Experimental diet – II was commercially available freeze dried Tubifex. Control fishes were fed with normal groundnut cake. Fishes initially weighing about 2.5 to 2.8 gms and length of about 6.3 to 6.4 cms were selected for the present study. The formulated feeding was given for a period of 30 days. A significant increase was observed in the body weight, length and the nutritional indices of the fishes fed on both experimental diets.