Growth and body composition of European catfish (Silurus glanis L.) fed diets containing different percentages of protein

Abstract

European catfish (Silurus glanis) were fed anchovy-based diets containing 30, 35, 40, or 44% crude protein to satiation for 112 days. Data were collected to determine the relationship between dietary protein level and mean weight gain, specific growth rate (SGR), feed conversion ratio (FCR), protein efficiency ratio (PER), daily growth index (DGI), average daily growth (ADG), feed efficiency (FE), and survival. The highest mean weight gain and SGR were obtained with the 40% (59.94 g and 0.74, respectively) and 44% (56.15 g and 0.71) diets. The best FCR (0.97), PER (2.62), DGI (2.18), ADG (1.14), and FE (1.04) were obtained with the 40% protein diet (2.75 kcal/g, digestible energy). Survival was 100% in all treatments. Results indicate that the optimum level of dietary protein for European catfish is 40%.