Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

ACETES MEAL AS A NON-CONVENTIONAL PROTEIN INGREDIENT TO PARTIALLY REPLACE FISH MEAL IN DIETS OF PACIFIC WHITE SHRIMP (LITOPENAEUS VANNAMEI, BOONE, 1931)

P.J. Mahida, S.I. Yusufzai, S. R. Lende, A.H. Ishakani and R.M. Kadri

Abstract

This trial evaluated the effects of partial replacement of fish meal protein by an Acetes meal (ACM) in a shrimp diet. The five isonitrogenous experimental diets were prepared which included a control diet (100% fish meal) and four treatment diets viz. fish meal replaced with Acetes meal at 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% of dietary protein levels respectively. The diets were formulated to provide 35% crude protein on a dry weight basis. Shrimp post larvae (initial weight 0.74 ± 0.01 g) were fed experimental diets ad libitum for 60 days. The water quality parameters viz. dissolved oxygen; alkalinity, pH, nitrate and nitrite were found in the permissible range during the entire experimental period. At the end of the feeding trial, length gain, weight gain, Average daily gain, feed conversion ratio (FCR), specific growth rate (SGR) and protein efficiency ratio (PER) were found to be in the range of 396.12 ± 18.77 to 446.56 ± 24.15, 4587.35 ± 404.74 to 6386.30 ± 159.35, 0.57 ± 0.05 to 0.78 ± 0.02, 1.71 ± 0.02 to 2.50 ± 0.22, 2.78 ± 0.06 to 3.02±0.02 and 1.17 ± 0.11 to 2.25 ± 0.06 respectively. The survival was obtained in the range of 82.50 to 88.75%. Based on the results recorded from the present study, it was found that higher growth, SGR, PER, survival and lowest FCR were obtained by feeding the shrimp with the diet T3 containing 50% Acetes meal. Thus, it was revealed that the Acetes meal replacing 50% of fish meal in the diet of L. vannamei post larvae gave better growth.