Effects of water temperatures and dietary protein levels on growth, body composition and blood biochemistry of juvenile GIFT tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

This study was carried out to evaluate the effects of water temperature (WT) and dietary protein levels on growth, body composition and blood biochemistry of GIFT tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus; initial average body weight: 38.75 +/- 0.61g,n = 20). The fish were fed with six diets contained graded levels of protein (209.6, 251.0, 302.4, 354.3, 401.9 and 456.8 g/kg) and raised in each of WT (22 degrees C, 28 degrees C and 34 degrees C) for 8 weeks. Results showed that the growth, feed utilization and protein efficiency were significantly increased with the increase of dietary protein level and followed by the latter platform at each WT. The fish raised at 28 and 34 degrees C showed similar growth performance, and their values were significantly higher than the fish raised at 22 degrees C (p< 0.05). The lipid contents in whole body were decreases with the increase of dietary protein level at each WT. However, the whole-body protein, ash and moisture contents were not affected by dietary protein level or WT (p> 0.05). The values of serum biochemical indices (ALP, ALT, AST and TCHO) were all decreased with the increase of dietary protein. The optimal dietary protein requirement for GIFT tilapia to achieve maximal growth performance is 374.4, 301.7 and 304.9 g protein/kg diet at 22, 28 and 34 degrees C, respectively.