Effects of colour on growth of Oreochromis niloticus (linnaeus 1757) fingerlings

Understanding Oreochromis niloticus behaviour and performance in aquaculture is important to optimize the design, management of tanks, and other culture conditions. The objective of this study is to evaluate how different combinations of tank colours affect the feed intake and growth in O. niloticus fingerlings. A feeding trial was conducted for 75 days to determine the effects of tank colours (black, blue, pink, green and white) on growth and nutrient utilization in O. niloticus (10.0 g) fingerling. Result indicatedthat O. niloticus fed and raised in black and green tanks had better growth performance of 26 ± 0.19 g and 25 ± 0.19 g and specific growth rate of 1.71 ± 0.33 g and 1.67 ± 0.33 g than the others. While the least growthperformance were recorded in the white and pink tanks correspondingly (18.0 ± 0.15 g and 17.5 ± 0.15 g). In conclusion, tank colour is an important factor to consider when planning enhancing the performance of O.niloticus in an intensive culture condition