Growth and body composition of European catfish (Silurus glanis L.) fed diets containing different percentages of protein. The Israeli Journal of Aquaculture Bamidgeh

Abstract

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%. Introduction The European catfish, Silurus glanis, is also known as wels or sheatfish. It has been cultivated extensively in ponds in central and eastern Europe for over 100 years, was introduced in France in the 1950s, and introduced in Spain more recentl