A Preliminary Study on the Dietary Protein Requirement of Larval Japanese FlounderParalichthys olivaceus

Abstract

Abstract This experiment was conducted to estimate the dietary protein requirement of larval Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus (also known as the olive flounder) and to examine the effects of a commercial diet and three experimentally developed microparticulate diets (MPDs) on their growth and body composition. Larvae were fed four MPDs for 75 d beginning 8 d after hatching (DAH); fish in these experimental diets were also concurrently fed live feeds until 45 DAH, as is the normal procedure in commercial hatcheries. One MPD was a commercial diet (CD) of marine fish in which crude protein ranged from 55.8% to 61.2% (dry weight basis; varied with pellet size); the three laboratory-prepared diets based on Japanese flounder muscle contained either 40% (D40), 50% (D50), or 60% (D60) crude protein. At 83 DAH, body weights and lengths of fish fed diet D60 were not significantly different from those fed diet CD. Fish fed diet CD had significantly greater body weights and lengths than those fed diets D40 an...