Potensi Wolffia globosa dan Lemna perpusilla (Lemnaceae) sebagai Pakan Ikan Nila (Oreochromis niloticus)

Abstract

The Potential of Wolffia globosa and Lemna perpusilla (Lemnaceae) as Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) Feed. Efforts to find alternative feeds, particularly those of cheap and readily available natural feeds, are continuously being made to improve the efficiency of fish farming. This study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of using two types of aquatic plants from the Lemnaceae group, Wolffia globosa and Lemna perpusilla, as alternative feeds in the cultivation of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). The fish was reared in nine aquaria measuring 60 × 40 × 40 cm, with a closed water recirculation system placed in a greenhouse. The aquatic plants were provided ad libitum while commercial pellets as control and comparison were given at 3% of the body weight, each with three replications. Observations on fish growth rate and feed efficiency were carried out every two weeks for eight weeks. The result showed that the growth rate of fish fed with Wolffia and Lemna reached 6.27 ± 0.14% per day and 6.46 ± 0.18% per day, while that fed with pellet was 7.17 ± 0.22% per day. Although these growth rates are significantly lower than that of fish fed with pellets, it is sufficient to show the potential of these aquatic plants as alternative feeds that can be used to reduce feed costs. This study also showed the better efficiency of fresh Lemna biomass as fish feed than Wolffia.