GROWTH PERFORMANCE AND COLOUR OF RED TILAPIA (Oreochromis niloticus) USING FE’I BANANA PEEL FEED

Abstract

Red tilapia is a fishery commodity with high demand and relatively rapid growth. To meet this demand, productivity must be increased by focusing on growth performance and colour. The use of feed made from local resources is thought to improve these aspects. Fe’i banana is a local resource of the Maluku region, characterised by its upright bunch, reddish-orange peel when ripe, and high carotenoid content. To date, fe’i banana peel has never been utilised as a feed ingredient in sustainable aquaculture efforts. The objective of this study was to analyse the growth performance and colour of red tilapia using feed on fe’i banana peel flour. The study employed a completely randomised design with treatments involving different concentrations of fe’i banana peel flour in the feed, comprising 0%, 10%, 20% and 30%. The stages of this study included feed preparation, analysis of the feed’s proximate and antioxidant content, fish collection and rearing, growth measurement, and analysis of the test fish’s colour. The data obtained were analysed using ANOVA in SPSS 22.0. The results showed that the highest protein, fat and carbohydrate content were found in the 10% treatment, whilst the highest fibre content was found in the 30% treatment. The highest body size and weight resulting from feed administration were found in the 10% treatment, with average total length, standard length, body width and body weight of 9.269±0.14 cm; 7.280±0.15 cm; 2.761±0.09 cm; 10.93±0.06 g. Fish in this treatment also exhibited a predominantly red colour. It is hoped that this study will contribute in the development of local materials as feed to help accelerate growth mechanisms and colour quality in red tilapia.