Fish and shrimp hydrolysate as additives in lobster feed formulation: effect on growth, survival, feed consumption of spiny lobster (Panulirus homarus)

Abstract

Artificial feed formulation has been developed to minimize trash fish use in spiny lobster (Panulirus homarus) culture. However, lobster growth was higher when they were fed fresh diets. Low feed intake was considered a problem in artificial feed development. This study aimed to evaluate fish and shrimp hydrolysate as attractants in lobster feed formulation. This research conducted three treatments, i.e., benchmark feed as control (A), feed with 3% fish hydrolysate (B), and feed with 3% shrimp hydrolysate (C). Lobsters with an initial carapace length of 6.12 cm and initial weight of 97.6 g were allocated into fiberglass tanks (2×2×1 m3) with a stocking density of 40 lobsters/tank. Lobsters were fed with moisture pellets with 24%-25% moisture content three times daily. The lobster’s weight and carapace length were measured every four weeks. Twelve weeks of observation showed no significant effects of treatments (p<0.05) on growth, feed consumption, lobster survival, and molt frequency. The final weight of the lobster ranged from 115.81 g to 116.10 g. The final carapace length was around 6.52 cm - 6.55 cm, the specific growth rate was around 0.20 %/day, and feed consumption ranged from 250 g/day – 267 g/day. While the survival rate ranged from 60.83% to 72.50%, and molt frequency was around 21 - 25 times during observation.