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This study was carried out to determine and compare the proximate and mineral compositions of African catfish,Clarias gariepinus from different culture enclosures (plastic, sandcrete tanks and earthen ponds), at the Teaching and Research Farm of The Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture Technology, the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria. Proximate composition parameters analysed were moisture, ash, crude lipid, crude protein and NFE from the fish flesh. Protein content (%) showed a significantly higher value in earthen pond (56.4) than sandcrete (50.8) and plastic tanks (50.3). The moisture contents of the fish ranged between 5.02 and 5.71%, ash contents between 10.1 and 12.8%, lipid contents ranged from 16.8 to 20.9%. The mineral compositions (ppm) analysed were magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and sodium (Na). There was no significant difference (p>0.05) in sodium from the three culture enclosures. Calcium and magnesium were significantly different (p<0.05) in the three culture enclosures. The result of phosphorus and potassium ranged between (5.94 and 6.02, 8.87 and 9.12) respectively. The increase in percentage crude proteinmay be attributed to the fact that fish samples are good sources of protein. However this study considered Clarias gariepinus in earthen pond culture enclosure with the highest value of crude protein contents as the best. The mineral composition of C. gariepinus in the three culture enclosures in this study contained appreciable concentration of magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, potassium and sodium.

Keywords:Clariasgariepinus, plastic, sandcrete and earthen.