Effect of periodic feed retrictions and refeeding on compensatory growth and blood physiology of of red tilapia (Oreochromis spp.)

Abstract

Red tilapia is a one of the economically important fish species. In order to increase growth and feed efficiency, feed restriction strategies can be carried out. This study aims to determine the effect of periodic (weekly) restriction of feed on compensatory growth and physiological responses of red tilapia during the enlargement phase. The activity was carried out at the Fish Breeding Research Center for 4 months. The research method used a completely randomized design (CRD) 4 treatments with 3 replications, namely control (fish were fed daily), 1 (1 fasting day a week), 2 (2 fasting days a week), and 3 (3 fasting days  a week). Fish rearing was conducted on the concrete tub measuring 2 x 1 x 0.8 m3 with a stocking density of 10 fish m-2. During the maintenance period of 120 days the fish were fed satiation twice a day. The results showed significant differences (P <0.05) in the value of weight growth, specific growth rate, daily growth and feed conversion ratio between control and other treatments, but not significantly different from treatment S1. The highest survival value was indicated by S1 treatment. The blood faal values of fish that were given feed restrictions consisting of red blood cells, white blood cells, hematocrit and hemoglobin showed that there was not significantly different than control fish (P> 0.05), which was at normal values. Restriction of feed to 1 day a week showed partial compensatory growth with better feed efficiency than fish fed daily.