Effect of adding squid meal as an attractant to freshwater eel (Anguilla marmorata) feed on elver growth, feed palatability, efficiency and conversion

Abstract

Squid meal can serve as an attractant to increase feed palatability and fish growth. The purpose of this study was to determine the optimum dose of squid meal as an attractant in freshwater eel (Anguilla marmorata) elver feed based on feed palatability and elver growth. This research was conducted from December 2020 to February 2021 at the Water Quality and Aquatic Biology Laboratory, Tadulako University, Palu, Indonesia. The completely randomized design (CRD) comprised four treatments with five replicates. Commercial feed was used with four squid meal attractant doses: 0% (A); 1% (B); 3% (C); 5% (D). Variables were palatability (speed of finding and consuming the feed, morning and afternoon), growth (net weight gain; net increase in length), feed efficiency, feed conversion ratio (FCR), and survival rate (SR). FCR did not vary significantly between treatments. The best results were obtained under treatment C with a uniformly high palatability (feed finding speeds of 0.12 s/cm in the morning and 0.06 s/cm in the afternoon; 100% feeding response); net weight gain 3.50 g; net growth in length 4 cm; feed efficiency 89.9%; SR 85.56%. It was concluded that 3% is the optimum dose for enriching elver feed with squid meal as an attractant.