Potential of Safmannan as a feed additive for juvenile African catfish (Clarias gariepinus): Growth, feed utilization efficiency, serum lysozyme activity, and total viable bacterial count in the gut

Abstract

ABSTRACT A 45-day feeding trial was conducted to study the effects of Safmannan as a feed additive for African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) fingerlings. A total of 270 catfish fingerlings were randomly distributed into nine experimental aquaria. Three complete diets were used in this study: Diet 1, a premium catfish feed in the market (feed type A); commercial catfish feed (feed type B) containing no added Safmannan (Diet 2), and 800 ppm of Safmannan (Diet 3). The results showed that fish growth was not significantly (P > 0.05) affected by diets. The feed conversion ratio of catfish fed with Diet 1 was not significantly different (P > 0.05) from catfish fed with Diet 3, reflecting the competitiveness of Safmannan-supplemented feed to the control feed. Interestingly, Safmannan supplementation significantly lowered (P > 0.05) the colony forming unit count and increased serum lysozyme activity. In conclusion, Safmannan could be used as an immunostimulant for catfish farming.