EFFECTS OF DIETARY-PROTEIN AND ENERGY ON GROWTH-PERFORMANCE OF TIGER SHRIMP PENAEUS-MONODON REARED IN SEAWATER

A feeding trial was conducted to determine the optimum protein: energy (P/E) ratio for tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon under seawater rearing conditions. Two dietary protein levels, 40 and 36%, and six energy levels, 280, 300, 320, 340, 360, and 380 kcal/100 g diet at each protein level, were employed. Carbohydrate (dextrin) was used to adjust the dietary energy level. After an initial 8 week conditioning period, the experimental diets were fed for 8 weeks to triplicate groups of 10 shrimp having average weights of 0.82 +/- 0.10 g stocked in aquarium of which salinity was maintained at 32-34 ppt. The weight gain, feed conversion ratio (FCR), and protein gain of shrimp improved as dietary energy level was raised up to around 330 kcal/100 g when 36% protein diet was fed and up to around 320 kcal/100 g when 40% protein diet was fed, respectively. Further elevation in dietary energy content had no beneficial effect in either protein level. These data suggest that when the energy level of the diet increased to 330 kcal/100 g, the dietary protein level for tiger shrimp reared in seawater can be lowered from 40 to 36%.