Effects of Broken Rice Flour Feeding Strategies on Water Quality, Growth Performance and Production Costs of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus Linnaeus, 1758) Reared in Fish Pens

maurice yeo; Simplice Paul Djeke; Soumaïla Konaté; Assoi Olivier Etchian; Mélécony Célestin Blé

doi:10.66920/pjn.2026.43.49

Authors

Gopéyué Maurice Yéo Department of Aquaculture, Center for Research of Oceanology, P.O. Box V 18, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
Simplice Paul Djeke Department of Aquaculture, Center for Research of Oceanology, P.O. Box V 18, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
Soumaïla Konaté Department of Aquaculture, Center for Research of Oceanology, P.O. Box V 18, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
Assoi Olivier Etchian Laboratory of Biology and Animal Cytology, Faculty of Natural Science, Nangui Abrogoua University, 02 P.O. Box 801, Abidjan 02, Côte d’Ivoire
Mélécony Célestin Blé Department of Aquaculture, Center for Research of Oceanology, P.O. Box V 18, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.66920/pjn.2026.43.49

Keywords:

Aquafeeds, by-product, cichlidae, feed cost, fish diets, pond

Abstract

Background and Objective: The increasing cost of commercial aquafeeds has prompted fish farmers to incorporate agricultural by-products into fish diets as cost-effective alternatives. In Côte d'Ivoire, broken rice flour is among the most commonly used agricultural by-products in small-scale aquaculture. This study evaluated the effects of different feeding strategies incorporating broken rice flour on water quality, zootechnical performance, and the economic viability of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) cultured in fish pens.

Materials and Methods: A total of 240 Nile tilapia were reared in fish pens for 56 days under four feeding strategies: Commercial Feed (CF), Commercial Feed plus Broken Rice Flour (CFBR), Broken Rice Flour alone (BR) and a Double Ration of Broken Rice Flour (2BR). Water quality, growth performance, survival, feed utilization, and production costs were assessed throughout the experimental period.

Results: Dissolved oxygen concentrations ranged from 5.03-7.50 mg/L, with the lowest value recorded in the 2BR treatment. Despite this, the 2BR treatment achieved the highest survival rate (86.67%, p<0.05). Fish fed the CF diet exhibited the greatest weight gain (36.77 g), significantly exceeding those fed the CFBR (24.63 g), 2BR (25.63 g), and BR (16.80 g) diets. Voluntary feed intake (4.98-5.15% body weight/day) and condition factor values (K>1) indicated good diet acceptability and satisfactory physiological status of the fish across all treatments. Economic analysis showed that the production cost of the CFBR feeding strategy (1,788.7 XOF) was nearly twice that of the 2BR strategy (993 XOF), despite producing a comparable weight gain.

Conclusion: Feeding Nile tilapia with a double ration of broken rice flour (2BR) represents a technically and economically favorable strategy, providing the highest survival rate while substantially reducing production costs compared with feeding strategies incorporating commercial feed.

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