REPLACING FISH MEAL WITH EARTHWORM AND MUSHROOM MEALS IN PRACTICAL DIETS OF LABEO ROHITA AND HEMIGRAMMUS CAUDOVITTATUS FINGERLINGS

A balanced diet with 18% fish meal (control feed), and test diets with 9% of fish meal with worm meal (9%) or mushroom meal (9%) were fed to fingerling of Labeo rohita and Hemigrammus caudovittatus in three replicates for a period of 30 days. Both the edible and ornamental fishes gained a maximum increase in weight and length fed with earthworm meal followed by mushroom and control feed. Highest average specific growth rate (SGR) of 1.69 and 1.02 were observed in the fishes fed with earthworm feed (1.41) followed by mushroom feed (0.65). The overall mean values of Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) in Labeo rohita was lower in the earthworm meal (1.79+/-0.01), followed by mushroom meal (2.01+/-0.37) and control meal whereas it was observed on the reverse pattern in Hemigrammus caudovittatus. Hence, the earthworm meal followed by mushroom meal could be supplemented in the feed as a substitute to the fish meal on the basis of growth performance.