Six isonitrogenous (390 g kg )1 ) and isoenergetic (16.2 kJ g )1 ) diets with varying carbohydrate : lipid (CHO : L) ratios (202.5-1.74), were fed to triplicate groups of 25 fish in indoor recirculation system. Over 8-week-growth trial, best weight gain (WG), specific growth rate, feed conversion ratio, protein efficiency ratio and protein production value (P < 0.05) were observed in fish-fed diets with CHO : L ratio of 7.5. Fish fed either the lowest (1.7) or highest (202.5) CHO : L ratio tended to produce lower (P < 0.05) growth and feed conversion efficiencies. The values of viscerosomatic index, hepatosomatic index and intraperitoneal fat ratio increased as dietary CHO : L ratios decreased. There were no significant differences in whole body and liver crude protein among dietary treatments. Whole body and liver lipid increased as CHO : L ratios decreased. Plasma cholesterol and triacylglyceride levels increased linearly as dietary CHO : L ratios decreased. Activities of glucokinase and pyruvate kinase were stimulated by elevated levels of dietary carbohydrate; however, activities of lipase (LPS) and alkaline phosphatase were stimulated by elevated levels of dietary lipid. Based on a second-order polynomial regression analysis of WG against dietary carbohydrate and lipid levels, 275 g kg )1 of carbohydrate and 59 g kg )1 of lipid, corresponding to a CHO : L ratio of 4.7, in a diet holding 390 g kg )1 of crude protein and 16.3 kJ g )1 of gross energy, proved to be optimal for grass carp. These results indicated that utilization of dietary lipid and carbohydrate was moderate in grass carp, but the fish were a little more capable of utilizing lipid compared with carbohydrate. KEY WORDS

The effect of dietary astaxanthin on growth, survival, and stress tolerance was determined in postlarval Litopenaeus vannamei. An experiment was performed with postlarval shrimp (mean initial wet weight 1.2 mg) fed four isoenergic and isonitrogenous diets containing four supplemented levels of astaxanthin (0, 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg diet, respectively). Shrimp fed diets containing 100, 200, and 400 mg astaxanthin/kg diet for 30 d showed higher weight gain (WG, %) and survival compared to the control (without supplementation of astaxanthin). Specific growth rate (SGR, %/day) and final body wet weight (FBW, mg) showed the same pattern as WG. There were no significant differences in growth performance (FBW, WG, and SGR) among the groups fed the diets with astaxanthin supplementation at the termination of feeding trial. Survival of shrimp in the control and 100 mg/kg diet treatments was significantly lower than that of shrimp in the treatments with 200 and 400 mg/kg diet. After 9 d of a stress tolerance test, survival of shrimp in the 200 and 400 mg astaxanthin/kg treatments was significantly higher than that of shrimp in the 0 and 100 mg astaxanthin/kg treatments (P < 0.05). We concluded from this experiment that astaxanthin was a necessary ingredient for the development of larval L. vannamei. Considering the effect of astaxanthin on both, growth performance and survival of postlarval L. vannamei, the level of astaxanthin supplemented in the diet should be between 100 mg and 200 mg/kg of diet.

Two, 8‐week feeding trials were conducted to compare protein‐sparing capability of dietary lipid in herbivorous grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) and omnivorous tilapia (Oreochomis niloticus × O. aureus). Utilizing a 2 × 3 factorial design, experimental diets containing two levels of crude protein (380 and 250 g kg−1) and three levels of lipid (0, 40 and 100 g kg−1) were formulated for use in both feeding trials. Growth performances showed better response of both fish fed 380 g kg−1 protein diet than those fed 250 g kg−1 protein diet. Despite the dietary protein level, weight gain (WG), specific growth ratio (SGR), feed conversion ratio (FCR) and protein efficiency ratio were much higher (P < 0.05) for grass carp fed 40 g kg−1 lipid diet than those fed 100 g kg−1 lipid diet; however, there were no significant differences in tilapia fed the two diets. The feed intake of grass carp fed lipid‐free diet was the lowest, but it tended to decrease with increase in dietary lipids in tilapia. Lipid retention (LR) was negatively correlated with dietary lipid concentration of both fish. Viscerosomatic index (VSI), hepatosomatic index (HSI), intraperitoneal fat ratio (IPF) and whole‐body and liver lipid content positively correlated with dietary lipid concentration of both fish. Plasma parameters and liver enzymes activities were also positively correlated with dietary lipid concentration of both fish. Liver lipid contents were higher and enzymes activities were lower in grass carp when compared with tilapia. These data suggested that there was no evidence of a protein‐sparing effect of dietary lipids in grass carp. Tilapia has relatively higher capacity to endure high dietary lipid level compared to grass carp.

A growth experiment was conducted to determine the optimal carbohydrate-to-lipid (CHO: L) ratio for juvenile yellowfin seabream cultured in 340-L indoor recirculating tanks. Seven isonitrogenous (450 g kg )1 dietary protein) and isoenergetic (14.1 MJ kg )1 ) diets with increasing CHO: L ratios (0.03-5.09 g: g) were fed to triplicate groups of 30 fish with an initial weight of 4.91 g for 56 days. Fish were fed to satiation twice a day and the water temperature ranged between 28 and 31.7°C during the experimental period. Survival was high in all the groups and was not affected by dietary treatments. Best weight gain (WG) and specific growth rate (SGR) were observed in fish fed diets with CHO: L ratios of 0.29 and 0.72, which were not significantly different from that of 0.03, 1.26 and 1.92, but apparently higher than that of 3.22 and 5.09. Feed efficiency (FE), protein efficiency ratio (PER) and protein production value (PPV) followed the same general pattern as WG and SGR. Highest level of energy production value (EPV) was found in fish fed diets with CHO: L ratio of 0.72. Proximate compositions of fish whole body and tissues were markedly affected by dietary CHO: L ratios. Whole body, muscle and liver lipid increased as CHO: L ratios decreased, whereas moisture contents were reduced. Dietary CHO: L ratios had no significant effect on protein content in whole body and muscle. Plasma total cholesterol levels of fish fed diets with CHO: L ratios less than 0.72 were significantly higher than those of the other groups. Triacylglyceride levels decreased linearly as dietary CHO: L ratios increased. Viscerosomatic index (VSI) significantly increased as dietary CHO: L ratios decreased. Intraperitoneal fat ratio (IPF) of fish fed diets with CHO: L ratios less than 1.92 were significantly higher than those fed CHO: L ratios of 3.22 and 5.09. Hepatosomatic index (HSI) did not vary between the test diets. Based on second-order polynomial regression analysis of WG against dietary carbohydrate and lipid levels, 84.1 g kg )1 of carbohydrate and 136.3 g kg )1 of lipid, corresponding to a CHO: L ratio of 0.62, in a diet holding 450 g kg )1 of crude protein and 14 KJ g )1 of metabolizable energy, proved to be optimal for juvenile yellowfin seabream.KEY WORDS

Different ration levels were used to determine the digestible methionine (DMet) and lysine (DLys) maintenance requirements and the utilization efficiencies for gain above maintenance for two different sizes of tilapia (20.7 and 165 g), by feeding a soybean meal-based diet. Protein gain and amino acid (AA) gain (e.g. methionine, Met; lysine, Lys; R 2 = 0.98) were best-fit linear functions of DMet and DLys intake in both fish size classes. Slopes of these regression lines showed that the DMet utilization efficiencies for growth were 0.76 and 0.55 for juvenile and adult fish, respectively. The DMet maintenance requirements were 3.12 and 16.5 mg BW(kg) À0.7 day À1 for juvenile and adult fish, respectively. The DLys utilization efficiencies for gain were 0.72 and 0.52, whereas the DLys maintenance requirements were 16.9 and 68.8 mg BW (kg) À0.7 day À1 , for juvenile and adult fish, respectively. These results suggested that there was an obvious difference in the maintenance requirements and utilization efficiencies for gain above maintenance for DMet and DLys in two different sizes of tilapia. The AA maintenance needs increased as fish increased in size, being greater in adult fish than in juvenile; however, the AA utilization efficiencies for gain above maintenance decreased with the increment of fish size.