Accessibility of quality fingerlings is dependable on a hatchery system with the capacity to produce all year round. There are two hatchery systems operational in Nigeria namely, the flow-through and re-circulating systems. These two systems require electricity to power periodic or constant water supply and aeration. When electricity supply fails or non-existent, this will result in anxiety and hardship to hatchery operators with the subsequent low output.
This paper, therefore, assess the production efficiency of solar and petrol-powered generator re-circulating aquaculture systems for African catfish (clarias gariepinus) fingerlings production. The results obtained from the growth performance and survival percentage of Clarias gariepnus reared in the two recirculating systems (solar and generator powered recirculating systems) showed no significant difference (P> 0.05) in the initial weight, specific growth rate (SGR) and feed conversion efficiency (FCE) of C. gariepnus from the two-recirculating systems. However, the result showed significant differences (P<0.05) in the final mean weight, weight gained, feed intake, feed conversion ratio, protein intake, protein efficiency ratio and survival rate in the two-recirculating systems. The growth of C. gariepinus reared in solar powered recirculating system had highest final weight gain, specific growth rate, protein efficiency ratio; (29.02±0.68, 10.3± 0.13 and 2.16±0.05), respectively. The solar powered recirculating system had the higher survival percentage of 5091.5± 8.17 than the generator powered recirculating system (4994±6.16).
Correspondingly, the mean value of percentage hatchability from the fertilized eggs incubated shows that hatchings had relatively high mean value of 82% and 82.1% in generator and solar powered recirculating system. Survival of hatchlings were observed to be high (5091.5) in solar powered recirculating system compared to (4994) number recovered from the generator powered recirculating system. Thus, this study revealed that solar energy might become the most promising energy source that can replace the usual source of energy for hatchery operations in Nigeria.