Effect of Feeding Frequency and Seasonal Variation on Water Quality and Growth Performance of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

Abstract

The principal challenge in intensive tilapia growing is achieving an appropriate combination between environmental sustainability and nutritional input. The study was a 120-day experiment that compared feeding frequency, once per day (T1), twice per day (T2) and thrice per day (T3) in combination with seasonal fluctuation (monsoon vs post-monsoon) on ecological stability and growth performance of Oreochromis niloticus. Though higher feeding rates are often linked with greater biomass, the thrice-a-day regime (T3) caused a metabolic bottleneck which led to the highest ammonia levels (0.0567mg/L) and nitrite levels that were accompanied with significantly lower dissolved oxygen. On the other hand, T2 was seen as the most biologically favored, and it had better final body weights (220,93 gm), survival rates (91.00 93 %), and total production (40.67 kg/dec) compared to both T1 and T3 with statistical significance (p<0.05). Statistical results obtained showed that over feeding enhances organic breakdown and respiration of microbes, thus exceeding pond carrying capacity regardless of seasonal buffering. These results show that T2 improves the rate of nutrient absorption without reducing water quality. To improve the economic effectiveness and environmental sustainability of tilapia culture in tropical ponds, a twice-daily feeding regimen is recommended.