Caulerpa sp. Seaweed Meal as a Nutrient-rich Supplement in Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) Diets

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the effect of fish feed fortification using Caulerpa sp. seaweed flour on the growth and survival of cultured tilapia (O. niloticus). The research method used is an experimental method, using a completely randomized design (CRD) consisting of 4 treatments of fish feed fortification with Caulerpa sp. seaweed flour at different concentrations in tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) cultivation with 3 replications, namely treatment P1 control (without the addition of Caulerpa sp. seaweed flour), P2 (Caulerpa sp. seaweed flour 4%), P3 (Caulerpa sp. seaweed flour 8%) and P4 (Caulerpa sp. seaweed flour 12%). This research was conducted in March-April 2025, at the Fish Seed Center, Mataram City Fisheries Service. Tilapia rearing was carried out for 50 days with the initial weight of the fish being 6.2g. The data obtained were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) with 95% confidence level and continued with Duncan's further test. The research parameters were absolute weight, absolute length, specific growth rate (SGR), survival (SR) and water quality values. The results showed that fish feed fortification with different concentrations of Caulerpa sp. flour can affect absolute weight, absolute length, and specific growth rate, but did not affect the survival rate of tilapia fry. The treatment without Caulerpa sp. seaweed meal fortification is the best treatment because it can increase the absolute weight of tilapia by 14.60±1.41g, absolute length 3.53±0.20cm, SGR 2.57±0.22%/day and survival 96.66±5.77 with ad satiation feeding method. Meanwhile, the treatment with the addition of Caulerpa sp. flour at concentrations ranging from 4% to 12% resulted in an absolute weight gain of tilapia ranging from 9.23 g to 11.23 g, absolute length gain from 2.40 cm to 2.90 cm, specific growth rate (SGR) from 1.90%/day to 2.11%/day, and survival rate ranging from 93.33% to 100%.