A Preliminary Study on the Dietary Protein Requirement of Juvenile Snakehead

Abstract

The dietary protein requirement of juvenile snakehead Channa micropeltes was investigated by feeding eight semipurified diets containing varying levels of dietary protein within a range of 25.5 to 56.5% by weight over a 56-day feeding period at 28°C. On the basis of daily weight gain and daily protein deposition these results indicate that the requirement by juvenile snakehead for dietary protein was about 52% of protein in the diet when fish meal is used as the sole protein source. The relationship between dietary protein level and food conversion ratio, protein efficiency ratio, apparent net protein utilisation, apparent protein digestibility, apparent dry matter digestibility, hepatosomatic index, and gross carcass composition were determined and discussed in relation to other fish species. © 1982, The Japanese Society of Fisheries Science. All rights reserved.