TY - JOUR AU - Keyombe, James Last AU - Andrew, Yasindi W. AU - Dalmas, Oyugi O. PY - 2017/06/30 Y2 - 2024/03/29 TI - Comparative assessment of diet and condition factor of Cyprinus carpio and Oreochromis leucostictus in Lake Naivasha, Kenya JF - International Journal of Aquatic Biology JA - Intl. J. Aquat. Biol. VL - 5 IS - 3 SE - Articles DO - 10.22034/ijab.v5i3.265 UR - https://ij-aquaticbiology.com/index.php/ijab/article/view/265 SP - 228-335 AB - <p>The study compared and assessed the diet and condition factors of two fish species, <em>Oreochromis leucostictus</em> and <em>Cyprinus carpio</em>, in Lake Naivasha. Fish samples were collected monthly using gill nets (35-70 mm mesh size) from July to December 2013. Stomach contents of all the specimens were analysed using the point method. Results indicated that detritus was the most abundant food item in the diet of both <em>O. leucostictus</em> and <em>C. carpio</em> accounting for 50% and 63%, respectively, while benthic macroinvertebrates contributed the least with each fish having 2%. Rooting and digging behaviour of the carp probably led to both <em>C. carpio</em> and <em>O. leucostictus</em> ingesting the suspended detritus as their main source of food with <em>C. carpio</em> outcompeting <span style="text-decoration: underline;">O. leucostictus</span> due to its prolific nature and better adaptability to benthic conditions. Fulton's condition factor of all the fish samples had values of &gt;1. A comparison of the two fish species showed <em>C. carpio</em> had a condition factor of 1.51 while <em>O. leucostictus</em> had 1.32. The higher condition factor of <em>C. carpio</em> in Lake Naivasha is an indication that the fish have better tissue energy reserves, greater reproductive potential and higher survival rates compared to <em>O. leucostictus</em> with a lower condition factor.</p> ER -