Growth Response of Juvenile Catfish ( Clarias gariepinus) Fed Diets Supplemented With Lactobacillus sp Inclusion into Feeds and Cultured Water.

Growth and nutrient utilization by catfish (Clarias gariepinus) through the inclusion of Lactobaccillus in either the feed or culture water were studied. A total of sixty three juvenile C. gariepinus average weight 17±1.2 g in a flow through system over a period of 42 days were fed with a conventional feed containing either Lactobacillus sp. added to feed (TF) or culture water (CW) and compared to control diet (without Lactobacillus) in a randomised complete design. The result revealed the values of feed conversion ratio (FCR) in TF, CW and control to be 0.82, 0.96 and 1.17 while specific growth rate (SGR%/day) values were 1.09, 1.12 and 0.93 respectively. No significant difference (p>0.05) was observed in feed intake, mean weight gain and relative growth rate between TF and CW. The inclusion of Lactobacillus in the diet of C.gariepinus juvenile gave better FCR an indication that profitable and sustainable aquaculture can be successfully achieved by the inclusion of Lactobacillus in feeds.Keywords: Bacteria, growth, haematology, probiotics, feed, clarias gariepinus. Fish, Feed, Probiotics, growth, Haematolog