EFFECT OF PROTEIN LEVEL AND VARYING PROTEIN – LIPID CONCENTRATIONS ON GROWTH CHARACTERISTICS OF JUVENILE SPOTTED GRUNTER <i>POMADASYS COMMERSONNII </i>(HAEMULIDAE)

Abstract

A 60-day feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary crude protein level on growth, feed conversion and protein efficiency ratio of juvenile (3–6 g) spotted grunter Pomadasys commersonnii. In the experiment, six semi-purified diets containing casein and fishmeal as protein sources, and with crude protein levels ranging from 35 to 60%, were fed to three replicate groups of fish per treatment in a recirculating system at the optimum temperature for growth. The relationships between dietary crude protein level and growth parameters were analysed by broken-line regression models. Results suggest that 48–50% dietary protein is needed for optimum growth and feed conversion for P. commersonnii. In a second experiment, three protein levels (35, 45 and 55%) at three different lipid concentrations (6, 8 and 12%) were used to formulate nine semi-purified diets that were fed for 60 days to triplicate groups of fish per treatment. Results suggest that a diet of at least 45% protein with a 12% lipid inclusion level is required for the best specific growth rate (5.96% per day) and feed conversion ratio (1.72) at this specific stage in the growth phase of P. commersonnii.

Afr. J. mar. Sci. 25: 283-288