Effect of some mycotoxin on growth performance and feed utilization of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

The present study was conducted in the fish lab, Sakha Aquaculture Research Unit, Central laboratory for Aquaculture Research-Abbassa, during season 2015, Feeding experiment was conducted for 16 weeks to study the effect of dietary contamination with aflatoxin B1 (150 ppb, AFB1) with and without the dietary supplementation of (1gm/kg) of Liquorice (medicinal plants), (2g) of MTB-100 (chemicals) and (0.5g) of Gromin-plus (chemicals) on growth performance and feed utilization of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fingerlings. A group of 150 Nile Tilapia fingerlings (O. niloticus) with an average initial body weight 13.50 gm were randomly allotted into 5 treatments in 10 glasses aquaria (80x35x40cm). Each treatment was applied in two aquaria. Fresh tap water was stored in fiberglass tanks for 24h under aeration for dechlorination. Prior to the start of the experiment, the fishes were adapted to a basal commercial diet (control diet) containing 31% crude protein and consisted of herring fish meal, soybean meal, yellow corn, wheat bran, sunflower oil and vitamins and minerals mixture for two weeks. These ingredients were pressed by manufactured machine (pellets size 1mm), milled and toxin AFB1 was added at a concentration of 150 ppb except the control. Fish in all treatments were daily fed the experimental diets at level of 3% of the fish biomass. The feed amount was given at two times daily, six days a week for 16 weeks. Fish were weighed weekly and the feed amounts were adjusted on the basis of the new weight. The aflatoxic dite has adversely affected the growth performance and survival rate, feed utilization and carcass composition in fish and residues of AFB1 in the whole body of fish and indices organs and blood biochemistry of the experimented fish. Dietary MTB-100, Liquorice and Gromin-plus inclusion alleviated aflatoxiccosis semptoms by fish, since it improved all the above tested parameters of aflatoxicated fish. Generally, obtained results in the present study indicated that the additives all the above could be used as detoxifying agents for aflatoxins