author(s)
Dharitri Baruah, Sushanta Borthakur, Sangipran Baishya, Kaustubh Bhagawati and Kalpajit Gogoi

abstract
A study was carried out to evaluate the fermented Ipomoea aquatic leaf meal as fish feed of Indian major carp yearling, Labeo rohita for a period of 90 days. Four different diets were prepared with fermented Ipomoea aquatica viz. 0%, 30%, 40% and 50% inclusion level and fed to rohu fingerlings in treatments T-I, T-II, T-III and T-IV respectively. Unfermented Ipomoea aquatica was taken as a reference diet. A total of 84 nos. of fingerlings were introduced in 12 nos. of rectangular cement cistern with size (2.7m x 1.0m x 1.5m) at a density of 7 nos. per tanks with three replicates. The initial average weight of fishes were 6.12 ± 0.23 g, 6.09 ± 0.16 g, 6.33 ± 0.26 g and 6.03 ± 0.66 g in T-I, T-II, T-III and T-IV respectively. Fishes showed significantly (pË‚0.05) higher net weight gain, SGR, FCR, PER & survivability and production in treatment group T-III, where fishes fed with diet containing 40% fermented Ipomoea aquatica. Though there was no significance (pË‚0.05) difference observed between T-III & T-II in relation to SGR, FCR, PER and was also found to be similar where fishes fed with 30% fermented Ipomoea aquatica. Lowest net weight gain, SGR, FCR, PER and survivability was recorded in group T-IV where fish fed with diet containing 50% Ipomoea aquatica. However, the growth of fish in the control group (T-I) was almost comparable to T-IV treatment group. The water quality parameters were not affected by the level of different diets and found to be desirable range for fish growth. These findings indicated that diet containing 40% & 30% fermented Ipomoea aquatica appears to be sufficient for obtaining optimum growth in Indian major carp yearling, Labeo rohita in cement cisterns.