EFFECT OF MORINGA (Moringa oleifera) AQUEOUS LEAF AND ROOT EXTRACTS IN THE PERFORMANCE OF AFRICAN CATFISH (Clarias gariepinus) FINGERLINGS

Plant extracts with phytobiotic properties have been added to feeds to improve feed utilization and overall growth of animals including fish species. This study investigated the impact of the aqueous leaf and root extracts of the Moringa (Moringa oleifera) on the overall performance of African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus) fingerlings, by the addition of aqueous extracts to the culture water. The experiment had 4 treatments with 3 replicates; T , T , T , and T represented the control (extract-free), treatment with aqueous 0 1 2 3 leaf extract, treatment with aqueous root extract, and treatment with both aqueous leaf and root extracts in equal proportions, respectively. The results revealed considerable variations in the overall performance of fish across the treatments. T had the best (16.43g) 2 Feed intake (FI), followed by T (14.64g) and T (13.76g) which had similar results, with 0 3 no significant difference (p<0.05) with T (11.45g) having the least value. Similarly, T 1 2 had the highest total weight gain (TWG) (55.84g), followed by T (49.60g) and T 0 3 (47.44g), which had similar results, with no significant difference (p<0.05). This study concludes that aqueous root extracts of Moringa (Moringa oleifera) added to the culture medium of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) fingerlings, can enhance feed intake and growth performance.