Dietary protein requirement of dourado (Salminus brasiliensis) fingerlings - DOI: 10.4025/actascianimsci.v32i1.7387

Abstract

The dietary protein requirement of dourado fingerlings was evaluated by two feeding trials where the crude protein concentrations varied from 32.29 to 57.63% in trial I, and from 33.93 to 53.61% in trial II. Fingerling initial weights were 0.75 and 5.68 g, for trial I and II, respectively. Experimental diets were formulated with semipurified ingredients and were isoenergetic within each feeding trial. Fish were fed to apparent satiation, twice a day (9 and 4 p.m.), for 29 days in trial I and 94 days in trial II. Regression analysis revealed a linear increase in weight gain as the dietary protein concentration increased in Trial I, indicating that the protein requirement of dourado fingerlings from 0.75 to 3.04 g is, at least, 57.6%. In trial II, with bigger-size fish, 45.4% crude protein was estimated as the protein requirement for maximum weight gain by polynomial regression