Effects of Alternate-Week Feeding Strategies on Growth and Feed Efficiency Ratio of Juvenile Nile Tilapia Oreochromis niloticus in a Recirculating System

Abstract

The effects of alternate-week feeding strategies on growth and feed efficiency ratio of juvenile Nile tilapia were investigated in a recirculating aquaculture system. Twenty fish initially weighing 25.5 g were randomly distributed into each of 18 tanks to conduct three replicates for each of six different feeding strategies. Weight gain of fish in the control that were fed daily for 6-week feeding trial was significantly higher than those of fish subjected to various alternate-week feeding regimes. Weight gain of fish that were starved for 3 weeks and then fed daily for 3 weeks (3WS+3WF) was not significantly different from that of fish, starved and fed daily for alternate 1-week period during the trial (1WS+1WF), but was significantly higher than those of fish starved for 2 weeks, and fed for 2 weeks (2WS+2WF); fish starved for 4 weeks and fed for 2 weeks (4WS+2WF); and fish fed for 5 weeks and fed for 1 week (5WS+1WF.) The amount of feed supplied to fish in the groups of 1WS+1WF and 3WS+3WF was significantly lower than that fed to fish in the control group, but significantly higher than the amount feed supplied to fish in the other three groups. Feed efficiency ratio for fish in the control group did not differ from that for fish in the groups of 1WS+1WF, 2WS+2WF and 3WS+3WF, but was significantly higher than that for fish in the groups of 4WS+2WF and 5WS+1WF. In conclusion, juvenile Nile tilapia that were subject to starvation for 1 to 5 weeks did not exhibit compensatory growth sufficient to attain the same weight as fish fed daily for 6 weeks. In addition, fish subjected to starvation exhibited low feed efficiency ratio compared to fish fed daily, which were probably attributable to poor weight gain.