Asian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Research

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.