Aiming to evaluate different inclusion levels of cassava meal (0.00, 6.00, 12.00, 18.00 and 24.00%) in diets with 30.00% of digestible protein and 3,000 kcal/kg of digestible energy to Nile tilapia fingerlings, an experiment was carried out at the Aquaculture Laboratory /DBI/UEM. Two hundred reverted Thai strain Nile tilapia fingerlings were utilized, with an initial weight of 0.84 g and 35 days old, distributed in 25 250L tanks, in a completely randomized design with five treatments and five replications. Averages of weight gain (GP), apparent feed conversion (CAa), survival (S), hepatic-somatic rate (IHS), carcass yield (RC) and fat carcass percentage (GC) were evaluated. The GP, CAa, S, IHS and RC did not shew differences among treatments. GC linear decrease with an increase inclusion levels cassava meal diets (Y= 12.22 -- 0.08657X; r² = 0.77). It was concluded that cassava meal may be used in the Nile tilapia fingerlings feeding up to 24% inclusion level, whole replaced the energy of corn without decrease on performance.
cassava by-product meal; Manihot esculenta; Nile tilapia; Oreochromis niloticus; performance
