Effect of Supplemented Bacteria (Lactobacillus sporogenes) on Growth of Macrobrachium rosenbergii Postlarvae

A feeding trial was conducted for 75 days to study the effects of dietary Lactobacillus sporogenes on growth and body composition in postlarvae of the giant freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii (de Man). Postlarvae were fed one of five experimental feeds containing 0.0% (control diet), 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.5%, or 1.0% L. sporogenes. Weight gain, specific growth rate, and protein efficiency ratio tended to increase as the postlarvae were fed the probiotic-supplemented feeds in increasing levels up to 0.5%. The best growth performance was obtained in postlarvae fed 0.5% L. sporogenes containing 1.67 x 10(5) colony forming units/100 g feed. When fed 1.0% L. sporogenes, growth performance dropped. Tissue protein content was highest in animals fed the 0.5% feed while lipid content was significantly highest in postlarvae fed the control.