A Group of Students of IPB Utilized OODEV and Turmeric Powder to Improve Nilem Fish Seeds Production

Imagine that someone who has never seen nilem fish (Osteochilus hasselti) fish before asks you to explain them about fish. What would you tell them? Let me explain as follow, Nilem Fish (Osteochillus hasselti) is one of the commodity fresh water fish, it is small and is famous for health therapy. This species has an enormous natural range extending eastwards from Myanmar via Thailand, Laos and Cambodia as far as Vietnam and to the south through Peninsular Malaysia and into the Greater Sunda Islands of Borneo, Sumatra and Java. Although it is gregarious by nature it is a shoaling rather than schooling species which develops a distinct pecking order and therefore should always be maintained in a group of five or more. If only two or three are purchased the subdominant fish may be bullied incessantly whereas solitary specimens can become aggressive towards similar-looking species. Nilem fish has long been utilized as a means of health therapy through the patient's feet. Fish bite therapy is recommended to cleanse and exfoliate skin. If you want to doing this therapy, you can soaking your feet on a pool that containing so many Nilem fish. When the small fish bite the feet, they will produce an enzyme called dithranol. This enzyme can peel and exfoliate the dead skin cells on the legs and feet naturally.

Nilem fish has good economic potential. Results of research shows that fish is a source of protein high quality. The nutrient contents of fish from the more complete other animals. Fish contains Vitamin A, B, C, D and E. Owing to the tasty and delicious taste, some areas such as Bandung, Cianjur, Tasikmalaya and Garut often use this fish into processed foods called baby fish. Forms processed nilem a harvest fish menu is eggs, egg sauce, crispi, jerked meat, presto, canned, meatball and fried fish. Products processed in the fried food is all the officials including even able to penetrate the export market. Besides its delicious taste and “kriuk” a typical also quite good (38.83% protein, calcium 0.93% and 3.14% water content). This product is a very good consumed by the five, children, adolescents and parents.

The high economic potential of nilem fish (Osteochilus hasseltii) as producer baby fish (three months old), and fish eggs (caviar) attracted  An-an Ansari Isman, with the group consisted of Cahyo Purnomo, Yurid Kushendarsyah, and Puput Septiyaningsih to make innovation. under the sponsorships of Program Kreativitas Mahasiswa bidang Penelitian (PKM-P Student Creativity Program for Research Program) 2017. The group made the innovative products on  nilem fish culture using OODEV hormone and turmeric powder to develop fish farming technology for ?sh seed production sustainability.

Nilem fish is one of the freshwater fish that grow well in Indonesia. In addition to resistant to disease attacks, nilem fish will get all of the food it needs from the natural algae build up in the waters. So it is not surprising that these nilem fish often help the fishermen to clean the floating net of peryphton as they eats parasites and plants attached to the net.

"We chose nilem fish to be cultivated because we know that nilem fish can spawning naturally in ponds, but only spawn at the start of the rainy season. To overcome that the artificial spawning techniques (induced breeding) must be innovated. The innovation in  induced breeding techniques will make the ?sh seed production sustainable," said An'an

The research had been carried out in the Fish Nutrition Laboratory, Department of Aquaculture of FPIK IPB and Freshwater Aquaculture Center in Sukabumi. Prior to the treatment, female nilem fish had been stocked for three days to adapt to new environment. After that the female fishes were kept and fed commercial feeds which were mixed with the hormone OODEV and turmeric flour. Feeding is administered  three times a day (morning, afternoon and evenoin) at the approximate daily rate of 3% of the fish bio-mass.

Feeds making process has been carried by mixing feeds and turmeric powder with coating method. The coating is carried out by mixing feed mixed with CMC of 1% / kg that serves as a binder, then sprayed by the hormone which were mixed with water.

The group of students who have similar subject coverage expected that their research will help the rapid development of fishing industry in Indonesia. (Wied)