Effect of probiotics on survival rate and growth performance of clarias gariepinus

Influence of probiotics (mixture of Lactobacillus sp. and Bacillus subtilis) on survival rate, growth performance and feed conversion ratio of African catfish Clarias gariepinus fingerling was examined. Two treatments, namely with (trial) and without probiotics (control) supplementations were performed. In both the treatments, commercial feed containing 31-33% crude protein was applied twice a day for 85 days. For the trial, the probiotics mixture was supplemented in both the feeds (10⁵ cells/g feed) and tank medium (10⁷ cells/mL). The fish were cultured into 3 m³ tank. Each trial and control was done in duplicate. The results exhibited that the survival of African catfish was remarkably higher in probiotics treatment than the control (P<0.05). The growth performance [specific growth rate (SGR) and daily gain (DG)] and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were significantly (P<0.05) better in fish treated with probiotics compared with those in the control. To sum up, the supplementation of probiotics in feed and culture medium improved the survival rate, growth performance and feed conversion ratio of C. gariepinus.