Author(s): SK Garg

Abstract: The present study was carried out to evaluate the influence of dietary supplementation of probiotic mix (Lactobacillus sporogenes and minerals, a commercially available product) on growth performance, and nutritivernphysiology on the fingerlings of Oreochromis niloticus. Along with water quality parameters, excretory patterns of total ammonia (NH₄-N) and reactive phosphate (o-PO4) production were also monitored. The fish with mean body weight 1.22±0.04g were distributed randomly into five treatment groups which were fed on a diet containing ‘probiotic mix’ in four concentrations (0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1.0 g 100 g^-1 of diet). The control group was fed on a diet without supplementation of probiotic mix for the same duration. All the diets were isocaloric and isonitrogenous. All fish were fed daily @ 5% of the body weight per day in two equal instalments. The feeding rate was kept at 5% body weight day^-1 for the whole rearing period of 70 days, and the amount of feed was adjusted every tenth day following a bulk weighing of each group of fish. All diets contained about 40% of crude protein. Significantly (P<0.05) high growth performance (percent gain in BW, SGR and length), were observed in the group fed diet containing probiotic mix at a concentration of 0.75 g 100 g^-1 of diet. Similarly, accumulation of carcass protein, apparent protein digestibility, nutrient retention (PER, GPR, GER and APD) and digestive enzyme activity were also significantly (P<0.05) higher at this dietary inclusions of probiotic mix (0.75 g 100 g^-1). Excretion of metabolites remained lower, while the values of VSI and HSI remained higher in this treatment. Muscle glycogen and liver glycogen remained significantly (P<0.05) lower, while the values of muscle protein were significantly (P<0.05) higher in fish fed diet-3 containing probiotic mix at a concentration of 0.75g, 100g^-1 of diet. These results suggest that supplementation of diets with appropriate concentration of probiotics could be used effectively for economic gains in aquaculture.

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