Nutritional Evaluation and Cost Analysis of Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) as a Replacement of Fish Meal in the Diets of GIF Tilapia

Background: Aquaculture’s explosive growth has made it more and more dependent on outside feed sources. Fish meal serves as the primary source of protein for external feed inputs. These days, it’s difficult to provide a high-protein diet at a reasonable price. Numerous investigations have been carried out to assess the viability of using plant-based protein sources in place of fish meal in a tilapia’s diet. Methods: The current study was planned to study the performance of Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia (GIFT) when fed with Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes). In the present trial, major feed ingredients were mixed in the feed at different concentration viz., 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100%. Every day the fishes were fed at the rate of 5% of their body weight. The experiment was conducted for a period of 90 days and the sampling was carried out once in a fortnight. Result: This study suggests replacing fish meal at low concentrations or no replacement tends to increase the growth of the fish without compromising the cost of the feed. The water hyacinth diet helps to cut down the price to a greater extent as the inclusion levels are less and helps to find a new alternative in the feed industry.