Effects of Animal Proteins in Practical Diets on Growth and Economic Performance of Climbing Perch, Anabas testudineus (Bloch)

Abstract

A ten-week feeding trial was carried out to evaluate animal proteins, either alone or in combination (1:1:1), on the growth performances and economic benefit of climbing perch, Anabas testudineus. Four iso-proteinous (40%) diets were prepared, using fishmeal, protein concentrate, and meat and bone meal as major protein source in diets 1, 2 and 3, respectively, while diet 4 consisted of an equal proportion (1:1:1) of the above protein sources. Triplicate groups of fish (0.53 ± 0.02 g) were randomly stocked in 12 earthen ponds at a stocking density of 40,000 ha⁻¹. Fish fed diet 4 had significantly (P < 0.05) higher percent weight gain and SGR % per day⁻¹ compared to the fish fed diets 1, 2, or 3. Significantly higher apparent protein efficiency ratio (1.25) and lower apparent feed conversion ratio (2.00) were also observed in fish fed diet 4. Total yield (1,123 kg ha⁻¹) and net profit (Tk. 116,569 ha⁻¹) were also higher in fish fed diet 4. It can be concluded that the combination of fishmeal, protein concentrate, and meat and bone meal is more effective for climbing perch than any of the three protein sources alone.

Keywords:

• animal protein
• practical diet
• combination of proteins
• climbing perch

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Nutrition, Faculty of Fisheries, Kagoshima University, Japan, for logistic support toward the chemical analysis. The authors thank the anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments on an earlier version of this manuscript.