WEIGHT-GAIN AND ANATOMOPATHOLOGICAL DISTU RBS ON NILE TILAPIA FED WITH COCOA MEAL

The experiment was carried out on the Laboratory of Fish Nutrition - F .M.V.Z., Campus Botucatu - integrated to the UNESP Aquaculture Center, with the main purpose of evaluating the effects of the use of cocoa m eal (Theobroma cacao) on diets for Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus ) fingerlings. Six diets with increasing levels of cocoa meal (CM): 0% CM; 4% CM; 8% CM; 12% CM; 16% CM and 20% CM were fed for 120 days to the fingerlings, in a completely randomized design. Results showed no significant adverse effect of cocoa meal on weight gain (p>0.05), but there were restrictions to its use on diet, as it was found pathologic al effects on liver and also behavior disturbs caused by alkaloids pre sent on the product.