Enhancing the growth performance of catfish (Clarias sp.) by the application of feed derived from fermented food waste

Catfish (Clarias sp.) is one of the leading products in Indonesian aquaculture due to its ease of cultivation, great tolerance to poor water quality, relatively low price, rapid growth, and high nutritional content. Increasing catfish aquaculture production requires a consistent supply of high-quality feed. However, commercial feed of superior quality is often purchased at a relatively high price. The utilization of alternative feed ingredients, such as fermented food waste meal (FFWM), offers a viable solution for reducing feed costs. Therefore, this research aimed to investigate the influences of incorporating different levels (0%, 15%, 20%, 25%, and 30%) of FFWM into the test feed. The key parameters assessed included specific growth rate, feed conversion ratio, protease enzyme activity, and protein retention. The results show that the addition of 20% FFWM yielded the best performance in terms of specific growth rate (1.56), feed conversion ratio (2.46), protease enzyme activity (103 U/mg protein), and protein retention (24.71%). These results indicated the potential of utilizing FFWMs in catfish feed to enhance the growth performance of fingerlings.