Ikan lele memiliki beberapa kelebihan diantaranya adalah pertumbuhannya cepat, serta mampu beradaptasi pada lingkungan yang ekstrim, namun diantara kelebihan tersebut terdapat kelemahan dalam budidaya ikan lele diantaranya adalah harga pakan yang tinggi dan menghabiskan 60 – 70 % dari total biaya produksi, serta kemampuan dalam menyerap pakan. maka dari itu diperlukan pakan alternatif dari bahan baku murah dan mampu menunjang pertumbuhan ikan lele. penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh pakan buatan dari tepung buah pepaya (carica papaya) terhadap pertumbuhan ikan lele (clarias gariepinus). penelitian ini menggunakan rancangan acak lengkap (ral), dengan 4 perlakuan, dimana pada perlakuan 1 diberikan pakan komersial tanpa tambahan tepung buah pepaya, perlakuan 2 diberikan pakan komersial dengan tambahan 4,50 gr tepung buah pepaya, perlakuan 3 diberikan pakan komersial dengan tambahan 4,75 gr tepung buah pepaya, perlakuan 4 diberikan pakan komersial dengan tambahan 5 gr tepung buah pepaya. pada penelitian ini dilakukan pengamatan terhadap berat mutlak, panjang mutlak, sgr, sr, serta fcr pada ikan lele. hasil penelitian selama 40 hari menunjukkan bahwa pakan buatan dengan penambahan tepung buah pepaya dapat berpengaruh terhadap pertumbuhan ikan, dimana pengaruh terbaik terdapat pada p2 dengan hasil berat mutlak sebesar (7,6 g), panjang mutlak sebesar (5,87 cm), hasil sgr sebesar (7,85 %), fcr sebesar (1,5 %), dan hasil sr sebesar (93 %). berdasarkan hasil penambahan tepung buah pepaya terhadap pertumbuhan ikan lele, menunjukkan hasil terbaik pada p2. nilai fcr terbaik pada p3 dan nilai sr terbaik pada p4. kata kunci: enzim papain, berat dan panjang mutlak, sgr, fcr, sr

Catfish have several advantages including fast growth and being able to adapt to extreme environments, but among these advantages, there are weaknesses in catfish farming including high feed prices and spending 60-70% of the total production cost, as well as the ability to absorb feed. therefore, alternative feed is needed from cheap raw materials and is able to support the growth of catfish. this study aimed to determine the effect of artificial feed from papaya fruit meal (carica papaya) on the growth of catfish (clarias gariepinus). this study used a completely randomized design (crd) with four treatments, wherein the first treatment was given commercial feed without the addition of papaya fruit meal, the second treatment was given commercial feed with an additional 4.50 g of papaya fruit meal, the third treatment was given commercial feed with the addition of 4 75 gr of papaya fruit meal, the fourth treatment was given commercial feed with an additional 5 grams of papaya fruit flour. in this research, absolute weight, length, sgr, sr, and fcr were observed in catfish. the results of the 40-day study showed that artificial feed with the addition of papaya fruit meal could affect fish growth, where the best effect was found in p2 with an absolute weight yield of (7.6 g), the absolute length of (5 87 cm), sgr results of (7.85%), fcr of (1.5%), and sr results of (93%) based on the results of adding papaya fruit meal to the growth of catfish, it showed the best results at p2. the best fcr value is in p3, and the best sr value is in p4. keywords: papain enzyme, absolute weight and length, sgr, fcr, sr