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The ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) root powder (ARP) was assessed as a dietary supplement to enhance growth in the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fingerlings. The study involved incorporating ARP at levels of 0, 1.5, 3, and 4.5% into the diets, corresponding to 0, 15, 30, and 45g/ kg in diets D1, D2, D3, and D4, respectively. A total of 180 fish, each with an initial body weight of 10.36± 0.821g, were distributed across 12 aquariums, with 15 fish per aquarium. The results indicated that ARP contains 4.21% CP, 34.90% CF, 0.32% EE, with gross energy of 4032kcal/ kg DM, and metabolizable energy of 216.33kcal/ kg DM. All diets tested were isocaloric and isonitrogenous. Fish fed with ARP demonstrated improvements in final weight (FW), total body weight gain (TBWG), average daily gain (ADG), and specific growth rate (SGR), while survival rates (SR) were 100%, and mortality was zero across all groups. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) significantly improved with higher ARP inclusion. Additionally, ARP inclusion led to reduced levels of AST, ALT, cholesterol, and LDL in the blood. Fish body composition, including moisture, organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), and gross energy content, showed significant enhancement, whereas dry matter (DM) and ash content decreased. Energy retention and protein productive value (PPV) also significantly increased. The findings suggest that ARP can be an effective growth promoter in the diets of the Nile tilapia without adverse effects on growth performance or blood parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated thyme meal (TM) as a plant protein source in fish feed, replacing 0, 10, 20, and 30% of soybean meal, which made up 40% of the control diet. The aim was to determine TM effect on the Nile tilapia growth performance. A total of 120 mon-sex fingerlings Nile tilapia, averaging 14.3± 0.64g, were acclimated and distributed into 12 aquariums (80x40x30cm, 60 liters), with 10 fish per aquarium, totaling 30 fish per each treatment group. TM contained 20% crude protein. Diets were similar in nitrogen content but varied in energy. The results showed significant improvements in total body weight gain (TBWG), average daily gain (ADG), and specific growth rate (SGR) with higher TM levels. Moreover, survival rates were 100% in all groups. The feed conversion ratio (FCR) improved significantly (P<0.05) with higher TM inclusion. Fish body composition showed higher moisture, CP, and ash content, while dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), EE, and gross energy decreased in TM groups. Furthermore, energy retention and protein production value (PPV) increased significantly (P<0.05). Blood protein levels rose in all TM groups, with the highest values of protein and globulin in 10% group and non-significant effects on AST and uric acid compared to control. Feed costs decreased, enhancing cost-efficiency. In conclusion, thyme meal is an effective alternative plant protein source for tilapia diets, improving growth performance, feed efficiency, and biochemical parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research examined the impact of incorporating cinnamon meal (CM), water cinnamon extract (CEX), and its combination on fish productivities, blood parameters and economic outcomes over 56 days. Five groups of fish were fed different diets: a control diet (D1), 1% cinnamon meal (D2), 1% water cinnamon extract (D3), combinations of 0.5% CM and 0.5% WCEX (D4), and 1% CM and 1% WCEX (D5). All diets were iso-caloric and iso-nitrogenous. Significant improvements in growth performances and feed utilization parameters were observed (P<0.05) in D5 (1% CM and 1% WCEX) compared to control or other treatments, with 100% survival in the D2, D4, and D5 groups, compared to 93.33% in D1 and D3. Feed conversion ratio improved with cinnamon-treated diets, and serum protein and globulin levels increased significantly, while cholesterol levels decreased. Body composition analysis showed a significant reduction in OM and CP, while DM, EE, ash, and GE content increased. The economic return improved in cinnamon-treated groups, though the percentage of profitable value decreased slightly. Diet costs were reduced, and net improvement over the control ranged from 2.32 to 8.82%. In conclusion, adding cinnamon meal and/or cinnamon water extract to fish diets impacted growth and feed efficiency positively, without negative effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was conducted to assess the effects of using Galleria mellonella larvae (GML) as an unconventional protein source (insect protein) replacing soybean meal (SBM) in the Nile tilapia diets. Approximatley 180 fish (with an initial average body weight of 5.6±0.18g) were randomly assigned among 12 experimental aquariums, with 15 fish per aquarium, giving three replicates of 45 fish for each treatment. GML replaced 0, 5, 10, and 15% of the soybean meal, which constituted 40% of the control diet. These replacements were corresponding to 0, 20, 40, and 60g/ kg for diets D1, D2, D3, and D4, respectively, for 56 days. All test diets were designed to be iso-nitrogenous. At the end of the experiment, growth productivity, feed utilization, body composition, biochemical analysis, immune parameters and economical evaluation were examined. The results indicated that, metrics such as FW, TBWG, ADG, SGR, and SR showed improvements in diets D2, D3, and D4, with a mortality rate of 6.67% in the control group (D1) and 0% in the other treatments. Fish fed on GML diets D2, D3, and D4 demonstrated a significant (P< 0.05) increase in FI, FCR, CPI, PER, energy retention percentage and lysozyme activity in all treatment groups compared to the control, whereas there were non-significant changes (P> 0.05) in ALT, AST, glucose, and cholesterol. Additionally, feed formulation costs decreased, with net improvements in the feeding cost percentages of 6.17, 8.70, and 10.07% for diets D2, D3, and D4, respectively, compared to the control group. The study revealed that using GML as an insect protein holds great potential as a substitute for SBM feeds to increase the production of the Nile tilapia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]