15 MAY 1999
EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE ON FEED RESPONSE, GROWTH PERFORMANCE, AND MUSCLE PROXIMATE COMPOSITION IN JUVENILE HYBRID STRIPED BASS (MORONE SAXATILIS X M. CHRYSOPS)
F.G. Liu, S.D. Yang, H.C. Chen-1998
Israeli Journal of Aquaculture - Bamidgeh, 50(4): 184-194 (from Current Contents)
Abstract:
This study was carried out over a period of 84 days to examine the effects of three levels of environmental temperature (18, 23, and 28 C) on the growth performance of hybrid striped bass (Morone saxatilis x M. chrysops). Sixty juveniles of 31 g were placed into each of six tanks (2.4 m^3/tank) with two replicates per treatment. Fish were fed to satiation twice a day with a commercial floating pelleted diet. Specific growth rate (SGR) and feed intake both increased with increasing temperatures. The feed conversion efficiency (FCE) was much lower at 18 C than at 23 and 28 C; the highest FCE was obtained at 23 C and slightly dropped at 28 C. With increasing temperature, there was a significant decrease in muscle moisture, but an increase in lipid content. The liver glycogen at 28 C was markedly lower than at other temperatures, while the hepatosomatic index and condition factor were slightly lower at 18 C than those at the higher temperatures. The variance in harvest size distribution was much larger at 28 C than at the lower temperatures. In terms of SGR and FCE, it can be concluded that the most economical temperature for aquaculture of this species is between 23 and 28 C.
(Natl. Taiwan Univ., Inst. Zool., Taipei 107, Taiwan)