A preliminary study on the protein requirements of Chanos chanos (Forskal) fry in a controlled environment

Milkfish (Chanos chanos) fry with an average weight of 40 mg per fish were stocked in 60-l wooden-glass aquaria filled with 30 l of filtered sea water with a salinity of 32–34 p.p.t. and a temperature of 25–28°C. They were fed diets containing 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60% protein and 2740 kcal of digestible energy per kg at a daily rate of 10% of the biomass for a period of 30 days. Fish which were fed the diet containing 40% protein had the highest weight gain which was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than those of fish receiving the lower dietary levels of protein. Slightly lower weight gains were obtained when fish were fed diets containing 50 and 60% protein. Although feed conversion values were not statistically different (P < 0.05) among all treatments, the value for the 40% protein diet (1.96) was the best. The mean survival rates were low for all treatments but was highest for the 40% protein diet. No significant difference (P < 0.05) was found in the survival rates of fish receiving different treatments. Results show that a dietary level of 40% protein was required by milkfish fry for maximum growth, efficient feed conversion and high survival rate.