Growth and Production implications of a 3-days and 5-days Intermittent Feed Deprivation and Re-feeding Strategies in Juvenile Clarias gariepinus Catfish Farming

Clarias gariepinus catfish is an important fish farmed in West African. However, the successful culture of this fish is hampered by the ever-increasing cost of feed. Study was conducted to exploit the compensatory growth patterns that has been reported in fish and to determine the effects of intermittent feed deprivation and refeeding on the production performance of juvenile Clarias gariepinus. One hundred and sixty (160) juvenile fish (80 ± 23 g; 23.55 ± 7.31 cm) were randomly distributed into four 200-liter aquaria labeled A, B, C and D. Fish in group A (the control) were fed continuously; fish in group B, were subjected to a 3-days feed deprivation and 3-days refeeding regimen; fish in group C, were subjected to a 5-days feed deprivation and 5-days refeeding regimen; and fish in group D were subjected to a 5-days feed deprivation and 7-days refeeding regimen. Growth parameters were measured in all groups for 98 days. Results shows that there were no significant variations (p > 0.05) in the final weight gained by fish in group B compared to fish in group A. Fish in groups C and D exhibited compensatory growth and had significantly higher weight gains compared to fish in group A. Fish in group B exhibited the highest compensation coefficient of 2.348 compared with 2.212 and 1.287 for groups C and D respectively. It is concluded that juvenile Clarias gariepinus can be produced following a feed deprivation and refeeding regimen, without significantly affecting its growth and production performance. The economic implication of this strategy is that production can be maximized while significantly reducing the cost of feeding. It is recommended that a 5-days feed deprivation and 5-days refeeding regimen be employed as this results in high weight gain at a reduced cost.