A study to investigate the growth performance of fingerlings of common carp Catla (Catla catla) fed a diet containing sorghum and pearl millet

The nutritional effects of a mixed feed consisting of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) and great millet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) on the growth performance of Catla catla fingerlings were examined in this study. During the 60-day trial, experimental diets were created by replacing an equivalent amount of rice bran with flour from sorghum and pearl millet. A total of 15 glass tanks, each with a 75-liter capacity, were randomly assigned to 375 healthy Catla catla fingerlings, weighing an average of 16.52 ± 0.01g. These tanks were split into five treatments, each with three duplicates, including a control group. Throughout the 60 days, the fingerlings were fed 1% of their body weight twice daily, in the morning and the evening. In contrast to the control group, which was fed only rice bran, the experimental diets included sorghum and pearl millet in a 1:1 ratio at different inclusion levels (5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%). Weekly measurements were made of water quality parameters, including pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), electrical conductivity (EC), total alkalinity, hardness, nitrate, orthophosphate, and air and water temperature. The experimental fish fingerlings fed a diet consisting of sorghum and pearl millet showed better growth performance, according to the results. The group with a 15% inclusion rate (G3) saw the most weight gain of 41.200±0.145g, whereas the control group (G0) that did not receive sorghum and pearl millet experienced the lowest weight gain of 32.428±0.029g. Additionally, G3 had the lowest feed conversion ratio (FCR) at 3.158±0.012, whereas the control group had the highest at 3.876±0.078. The control group (G0) had the lowest specific growth rate (SGR) at 1.512±0.002%, whereas G3 had the highest at 1.985±0.003%. Results show that Catla catla fingerlings fed a 1:1 ratio of sorghum millet to pearl millet preserves the water quality and promotes healthy development.