Parameter
|
CON
|
0.3% NDF
|
P-value
|
Initial weight [g]
|
16.5±3.2
|
16.5±3.2
|
-
|
Final weight [g]
|
58.7±4.7
|
66.2±4.2
|
0.06
|
Survival [%]
|
95.0±5.0
|
98.0±2.3
|
0.32
|
Bulk weight [g]
|
1396±152b
|
1621±73a
|
0.04
|
SGR* [%]
|
2.58±0.11
|
2.73±0.08
|
0.06
|
FCR
|
0.77±0.02a
|
0.69±0.05b
|
0.02
|
FPI**
|
525±98b
|
708±54a
|
0.02
|
Dear Dr. Velez,
Thank you for your comments. The use of various organic acids or their salts gave continuously a beneficial impact on tilapia. I have monitored many publications on that topic over the last decade. You are right, the stomach pH of a tilapia can be below 2.0 - thus an additionally acidification of the stomach may not be necessary. However, feeding diets with ~30% crude protein will certainly buffer this system and it may take the fish a certain amount of energy as well as time to reduce the pH in the stomach to "normal levels". Here, acidification may support the protein digestion - as this has been reported previously. Furthermore, the growth enhancing effect may come not only from the pH-impact, but also from the bacterial inhibition (reduction of pathogens, energy sparing) as well as the improved mineral availability. But you are right - to date we mostly monitor the impact only (there is a meta-analysis on the impact of potassium diformate in tilapia available), but speculate on the reasons why...
Dear Mr. Ediwarman,
Yes, you can use diformates in catfish. We have done so before - with African catfish, as well as with Pangasius. Novindo in Indonesia is not a person. It is a distributing company based in Jakarta. Please contact me under my e-mail address at ADDCON and I can forward Novindo's adress and a responsible person.
Dear Mr. Tendai,
To my understanding livestock manure in aquaculture is used to enhance the growth of natural food, like in extensive or semi-intensive pond systems. So the manure is used to feed the "system" rather than the fish itself. I would expect that bacteria which may be present in the manure will be efficiently diluted in the water, and, if taken up, killed/inactivated in the acidic part of the GIT (stomach). But I am not a microbiologist - you may ask the same question in a different forum...
Dear Peyi,
I am sure you can combine calcium propionate with probiotics in the finished feed for fish. I have however not yet seen regularly that calcium propionate in fish feed would be used to enhance the perfomance. It will be mainly used to avoid microbial spoilage with fungi over storage. Guess the relevant dosages here will vary between 0.1 and 0.4%. But keep in mind... sodium diformate and calcium propionate may belong to the group of organic acid salts; however they are not the same! Calcium propionate has no effect on pH-change, whereas the sodium diformate is able to release formic acid and thus has a strong effect on pH, which will be helpful in high protein aquafeeds. Thus the concept of the two additives is different... Ca-propionate is protecting the feed, while sodium diformate has beneficial impacts in side the GIT of fish.
Dear Peyi,
We are currently registering the additive in Indonesia. Dossier and samples for testing have handed in to the respective authorities. You may ask our local distributor Novindo for further details.
Dear Mr. Enyidi,
Yes, the additive can be used in both - juvenile as well as in adult fish. However, as usual with all species in which acidifier has been tested (fish, pig, poultry) the effect on weight ganin as well as feed conversion is greater in juvenile fish.
Keep me updated on your trials.
Dear Dr. Rodriguez,
As far as I recall we used a regular commercial diet for tilapia from the Philippines. As we needed only a small amount of supplemented diet, the pelleted diets was ground. The crystalline product was mixed in - and the diet was pelleted again, lab scale. Fish in both groups, control and treatment, were given the appropriate feed with a daily ration equivalent to 5 percent of their body weight - and the fish were fed 3 times a day. Let me know whether you would love a sample of the additive. As of now we are working in tilapia culture in Ecuador and Colombia, with some plans to start in Middle-America.