Obwanga B.O.,Liti D...(et .al)2025-12-132013http://41.89.103.50:4000/handle/123456789/195An eight week study was carried out to determine the effect of substituting freshwater shrimps Caridenea niloticus with 2 plant materials on the whole body composition and the hepatosomatic index in diets used to feed the Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus in diets. Cassava leaves (CLM) and Boiled tea leaf residues (BTLR) were used to replace freshwater shrimps from diets used to culture the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L.). The study was carried out in Sagana Aquaculture Centre both in aquaria set up in a hatchery and in hapas set up earthen ponds where 10 post fingerling fish were used in triplicates. The following were used in the experiments: CLM in aquaria (initial mean weight 10.90±0.64g fish-1; mean length 6.20±0.25cm fish-1) and in hapas set up in fertilized earthen ponds (initial mean weight 10.55g fish-1 mean length 8.17±0.23cm fish-1) and BTLR in aquaria (initial mean weight 12.36±1.1g fish-1; mean length 8.43±0.27 cm fish-1) and hapas (initial mean weight 10.98±0.75g fish-1 and mean length 8.77±0.3 cm fish-1). Four (300g/kg) practical diets were formulated to contain 0%, 25%, 50% or 100% of the test ingredient. The 0% test ingredient (Sagana diet) was used as the control and the performance of fish fed on the other diets were compared to it. The diets were fed to fish in glass aquaria and in hapas in a pond at 10% of their body weight in triplicates. Carcass chemical composition showed similar effect of diets on body moisture content at 25% CLM and 100% CLM in hapas. At 50% CLM the diets caused a significant (P<0.05) increase in the whole body moisture level. Substitution up to 50% CLM showed similar effect on body moisture in fish cultured in aquaria. 100% CLM significantly (P<0.05) increased whole body moisture, significantly (P<0.05) decreased whole body crude protein and significantly decreased Hepatosomatic Indices (HSI) in fish grown in aquaria. HSI was similar at 0% CLM, 50% CLM and 100% CLM but increased significantly (P<0.05) in hapas. The diet had the same effect (P>0.05) on the whole body chemistry (moisture, total ash and crude protein) in the fish raised in hapas. In glass aquaria total body ash increased (P<0.05) significantly with increase in BTLR inclusion. Crude protein decreased significantly at 100% BTLR. The HSI was significantly (P>0.05) high at 100% BTLR in hapas, while in the aquaria there was a significant increase in hepatosomatic index with increase in BTLR inclusion. The study concluded that the two ingredients could be used with limited success in aquaria due to their effect on the O. niloticus. However the ingredients can be used to replace freshwater shrimps from diets used to culture O. niloticus in fertilized earthen ponds. Key word: Oreochromis niloticus, whole body composition, hepatosomatic indexenArticle