DIGESTIBILITY OF FEED AND GROWTH RESPONSE OF GREY MULLET (MUGIL CEPHALUS L.) FED ON NATURAL FOOD AND/OR FORMULATED DIET IN FRESH WATER PONDS

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Central Laboratory of Aquaculture Research, Abbassa, Agricultural Research Centre, Giza, Egypt

2 Animal Production Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt

Abstract

Two sequential feeding experiments were carried out with grey mullet . In the first experiment,three treatments were applied in freshwater earthen ponds,and each treatment (TRT) was replicated in three of ponds. TRT-A„ fish fed on the available natural food induced by a pond fertilization programme . TRT-B, fish received the available natural food induced by the same pond fertilization programme as in TRT-A in addition to a supplemental formulated diet at a rate of 3% body weight. TRT-C, fish exclusively fed on the same formulated diet as used in TRT-B but at a rate of 5% body weight. At the end of the experiment, the highest mean weight of fish resulted from TRT-C,followed in order by TRT-B and TRT-A The daily weight gains of fish were 0.37 g,0.41 g and 0.46 g for TRT-A,TRT-B and TRT-C, respectively . The weight gain of TRT-C and TRT-B exceeded that of TRT-A by 24.1% and 11.7%, respectively.Fish of TRT-C had also the highest protein,fat,ash and gross energy deposition in their body, and thus , produced the most nutritious fish among the other treatments . The study clearly indicated that the grey mullet had the ability to digest and utilize the artificial diet. The efficiency of feed utilization by grey mullet was determined for TRT-B and TRT-C and the data were as follows :3.6 & 5.6 for food conversion ratio, 79% & 51% for prtein efficiencey ratio, 14.8% & 10.1% for productive protein value and 1 5.7% & 10.3% for energy retention value, respectively . These values may be used to evaluate the diet as it had moderate utilization

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