The usage of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae meal as alternative protein source in carp diets (Cyprinus carpio)

A seventy-five-day feeding study was performed to investigate the usage of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae meal as an alternative protein source in carp diets (Cyprinus carpio). In this study, experimental fish were fed with four different diets (fish meal-based without Black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) meal (BSFL0), 50% (BSFL50), 65% (BSFL65), and 75% (BSFL75) of fish meal substitution with BSFL), with triplicate. The carps (1.045±0.083 g) were randomly stocked into twelve flow-through tanks with a density of 50 fish per tank and reared for 75 days. Diet feed was provided to carps as a proportion of their biomass (5% of their mass per day) with two meals a day. Carps fed with BSFL65 meal showed positive effects on weight gain (WG), specific growth rate (SGR), protein efficiency ratio (PER), apparent net protein utilization (ANPU), and feed conversion ratio (FCR). There were significant differences in moisture, crude protein, lipid, and ash content in the whole body among dietary groups (P<0.05). The protein content of the carp-fed BSFL75 diet group (20.22%) was significantly the highest among all three diet groups. Consequently, a BSFL meal can be considered as an alternative animal source of protein for the carp diet.