Impact of Fertilization with Aquaculture Sludge-Derived Vermicompost on Growth Performance, Feed Utilization and Biochemical Parameters of Oreochromis niloticus Reared in Cement Ponds.

Abd El-Wahab, Eslam; Moustafa, Yasser; Fath El-Bab, Ahmed

doi:10.21608/djas.2025.413543

Impact of Fertilization with Aquaculture Sludge-Derived Vermicompost on Growth Performance, Feed Utilization and Biochemical Parameters of Oreochromis niloticus Reared in Cement Ponds.

Document Type : Original research papers

Authors

¹ Animal, Poultry and Fish Production Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Damietta University, Egypt

² Limnology Department, Central Laboratory for Aquaculture Research, Agricultural Research Center, Egypt

10.21608/djas.2025.413543

Abstract

The present study was carried out in cement ponds with surface area of 4m² and working volume of 4m³ to investigate the potentiality of using new bio-organic fertilizer (vermicompost) produced though recycling aquaculture solid wastes using earthworm. The efficiency of three types of the vermicompost were tested in the present study. Three species of vermicomposting-earthworm were recruited in the vermicomposting of aquaculture sludge without or with sawdust or sugar-bee. Mono sex Nile tilapia with initial weight 22.88 ± 0.14 g the fish were stocked at the density of 80 fish per pond (4m³). Fish in all treatments were fed (25% protein commercial diet) at a feeding rate of (3% of BW daily), 6 days a week for14weeks. Twelve cement ponds were assigned for four treatments as following: control treatment using cow dung as conventional organic manure (T1); vermicompost of only aquaculture sludge (T2); vermicompost of a mixture of aquaculture sludge and sawdust (T3) and vermicompost of a mixture of aquaculture sludge and sugar beet bagasse (T4). All ponds received 3 g urea and 10 g single super phosphate/pond/fortnights as they were provided with continuous aeration. Compared with the control group (T1), fish fed in ponds T4, T3 and T2, respectively, showed the best values of feed conversion ratio, highest values of final weight, weight gain, specific growth rate and protein efficiency ratio. The same trend was observed in total protein, albumin and globulin. The levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) of fish reared in ponds enriched with T1 were significantly higher. From the above, it is clear that vermicompost made from a mixture of aquaculture wastes was better than cow manure as organic fertilizer in fish ponds, especially when there were water quality improving materials such as sugar beet pulp or sawdust. this study can be concluded that use of vermicompost from the mixture of water sludge with sugar beet pulp had a better effect on performance, survival and chemical composition without changing the biochemical parameters.

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