Ali MZ ; Jauncey K ;

Aquaculture Nutrition vol. 11 (2)   pp. 95-101, 1 Avr 2005

Abstract An 8-week feeding trial was conducted in a recycling water system at 28 +- 1 oC to investigate protein to energy ratio (P/E ratio) in African catfish Clarias gariepinus (10.9 +- 0.04 g). Six fishmeal-based diets of two protein levels (330 and 430 g kg-1), each with three lipid levels (40, 80 and 120 g kg-1) resulted in P/E ratios ranging from 15.5 to 21.3 mg protein kJ-1 gross energy (GE) were fed to 20 fish (per 30-L tank) in triplicate. Fish were fed 50 g kg-1 of their body weight per day adjusted fortnightly. Significantly higher (P < 0.05) growth rates and feed conversion efficiency were evident in fish fed with higher protein diet. The highest growth rate was found by fish fed 430 g kg-1 protein, 21.2 kJ-1 GE with a P/E ratio of 20.5 mg protein kJ-1 GE. Significantly indifferent (P > 0.05) values of protein utilization were found in-between the both (higher and lower) protein diets. Higher lipid deposition (P < 0.05) in whole body and liver was observed with increasing dietary lipid level at each protein diet and as higher (P < 0.05) for the lower protein diets. Liver glycogen tended to decrease with increasing gross energy at each protein diet and higher protein diet showed comparatively lower values (P > 0.05). Digestive enzyme activities (protease and lipase) and histological examination of intestine and liver of fish fed varying P/E diets found no significant differences in response to experimental diets. The study reveals that African catfish C. gariepinus performed best the diet containing 430 g kg-1, 21.2 kJ g-1 and 20.5 mg protein kJ g-1 GE protein, gross energy and P/E ratio, respectively

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