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Abstract
A feeding trial to quantify dietary protein level for maximum growth and diet utilization was conducted in hybrid Clarias catfish fingerlings. Five fish meal-soybean meal based diets were formulated to contain protein levels of 25-45% at 5% increments and were isocaloric with digestible energy of 280 kca1/100 g. Diets were fed to apparent satiation twice daily for 10 weeks to 2.5-g hybrid Clarias catfish held in fifteen 80-L glass aquaria. The study showed that maximum specific growth rate and lowest feed conversion ratio were attained at 40% protein level. Protein efficiency ratios and apparent net protein retention of fish fed 35 and 40% protein were higher (P < 0.05) than those fed the other diets. Fat contents of fish fed 25 and 30% protein were higher than those of fish fed higher protein levels. Ash was high only for the fish fed 25% protein, but no differences were found in those fed higher protein levels. This study indicates that juvenile hybrid Clarias catfish require a diet containing 40% protein when the diet formulations used in this study are fed.