The Effectiveness Of Herbal-Based Probiotics On The Growth and Feed Utilization Efficiency of Saline Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

An herbal-based fermented product may be used as a dietary additive in saline tilapia culture. This study evaluated the effects of a fermented mixture made from molasses, a commercial fermented milk drink, baker's yeast, ginger, turmeric, and Java turmeric on growth, feed utilization efficiency, and survival of saline Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). A completely randomized design was applied with four treatments and three replicates: no fermented product (A), 5 mL/kg feed (B), 10 mL/kg feed (C), and 15 mL/kg feed (D). A total of 120 fish, with mean initial length and weight of 4.17 cm and 0.39 g/fish, were reared for 56 days at 20 ppt salinity and fed at 5% of biomass daily. The measured variables included absolute weight and length gain, specific growth rate, feed utilization efficiency, survival, and water quality. Among the tested doses, treatment D had the highest mean absolute weight gain (12.51 g), specific growth rate (6.25%/day), feed utilization efficiency (70.06%), and survival (86.67%). Survival in the control was only 20.00%; therefore, growth and feed utilization differences should be interpreted in light of the high mortality. The final pH of the fermented product was reported as 8.0, while microbial identity and viability in the final product were not established by the reported data. These findings indicate potential value as a feed additive under the experimental conditions but do not establish a probiotic mechanism or an optimum dose beyond the tested range.