Effects of Dietary Protein Sources on Growth and Body Composition in Olive Flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus)

Abstract

A 6-week feeding trial was conducted to investigate the effects of six different dietary animal protein sources on growth and body composition of olive flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus in recirculating system. White fish meal (WFM), flounder muscle (FLM), carp muscle (CM), blood meal (BM), squid liver powder (SLP) and casein (CA) were used as the main animal protein sources in the six experimental diets. Fish averaging <TEX>$2.9\pm0.03g$</TEX> <TEX>$(mean\pm SD)$</TEX> were distributed to each aquarium as a group of 15 fish and were fed one of the six experimental diets to each treatment of triplicate groups. After 6-week of the feeding trial, fish fed white fish meal (WFM) and flounder muscle (FLM) diets showed a significant higher weight gain <TEX>$(WG\%)$</TEX> (P<0.05) than those of fish fed the CM, BM, SLP and CA diets. Fish fed BM diet showed the lowest WG among all the dietary treatments. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) and protein efficiency ratio (PER) showed the similar trend as WG. Hematocrit and hemoglobin were not affected by the dietary treatments. Fish fed the FLM and CM diets showed significant higher survival rate than those of fish fed BM diets, and there was no significant difference in survival of fish fed WFM, FLM, CM, SLP and CA diets. These results indicated that WFM and FLM are the best dietary protein sources tested in olive flounder.