Sustainable development of feed formulation for farmed tilapia enriched with fermented pig manure to reduce production costs

Abstract

Aquaculture is often referred to as “livestock production” with a proper “future-facing” strategy. Fish productivity varies greatly, and feeding is a significant expense for farmers. Despite the increased interest in waste valorization, a biorefinery strategy to reduce feed costs has been developed. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to determine the growth of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in cement ponds fed with feed formulas containing fermented pig manure in various ratios and to verify the digestibility of Nile tilapia fed with fermented pig dung-based diets. The 120-days experiments were conducted in 20 cement ponds to determine the nutritional content of pig manure collected from a fermented system and the permissible level of digested manure to be utilized as a raw material to formulate alternative tilapia feed. Fermented pig manure (diet) has a high protein content and other nutrients, including nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, copper, manganese, and zinc. Furthermore, the quantities of phytoplanktons in cement pond water associated with manure diets of 0, 5, 10, and 15% are estimated. The diet with 15% manure produced the most weight gain and yield (75.3 g and 1002.80 g, respectively). The findings of this study emphasize the new technique of feeding fermented pig manure to fish, opening up a wide range of possibilities for achieving a sustainable protein source for aquaculture.