Use of zooplankton prey in aquaculture production of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus Linnaeus, 1758) in Daloa, Côte D'Ivoire

The aim of the study carried out at the Ouattara N'golo fish farm in Daloa was to contribute to the improvement of fish production in Côte d'Ivoire through the production of Nile tilapia fed on zooplankton prey. Larvae of the Brazilian strain of Oreochromis niloticus, with an initial weight of 0.03 ± 0.01 g and an initial total length of 1.7 ± 0.1 cm, were distributed in triplicate in three plastic tanks. Fish in BAC 1 were fed only low-grade rice flour (LSRF), while those in BAC 2 were fed LSRF and live zooplankton (LSRF + ZOO). Fish in BAC 3 were fed mainly live zooplankton (ZOO). The main results show that fish fed with low-grade rice flour and live zooplankton (FBR + ZOO), and those fed mainly with live zooplankton (ZOO) recorded the highest survival rates (95.25 ± 0.0025% and 97.5 ± 0.005% respectively). Furthermore, weight and length growth at the end of the experiment were greater in fish fed with low-grade rice flour and live zooplankton (2.66 ± 0.01 g and 6.8 ± 0.1 cm) than in those fed with low-grade rice flour only (2.46 ± 0.02 and 5.8 ± 0.1 cm) and those fed mainly with live zooplankton (1.93 ± 0.03 and 5.5 ± 0.1 cm). The involvement of zooplankton prey in the diet of Nile tilapia larvae confers better survival and growth performance on these small fish, while at the same time reducing the expense of producing them.