Partial substitution of dietary fish meal with soybean meal for speckled shrimp, Metapenaeus monoceros (Fabricius, 1798) (Decapoda: Penaeidae) juvenile

Abstract

A 63-day feeding study was conducted to evaluate the effect of partial substitution (0%, 20%, 40% and 60%) of dietary fish meal (FM) with soybean meal (SBM) on the growth performance and feed utilization of speckled shrimp, Metapenaeus monoceros juveniles. A total of 180 M. monoceros juveniles with an average weight of 0.67 ± 0.18 g were equally distributed over 12 glass aquaria (30 L each, triplicate per treatment). All aquaria were filled with filtered sea water (30–35 ‰, salinity). Four isonitrogenous (400 g kg−1 crude protein) and isocaloric (20.5 MJ GE kg−1) test diets were formulated. The control diet contained FM (D1) as the main protein source. In the other diets, FM was partially replaced with 20 (D2), 40% (D3) or 60% (D4) SBM. The results indicate that the diet in which 40% of the FM is replaced by SBM yields similar growth and production, and is as cost effective, as the control diet.