Optimum feeding percentage in nursery phase of yellowfin seabream (Acanthopagrus latus

A 30-day research was conducted to evaluate the effects of different feeding rate (2, 4, 6, 8 and 10% of wet body weight/day) and also fresh food (20% of wet body weight/day) on growth performance and feed utilization of Acanthopagrus latus fry in nursery phase. Fish that fed with fresh food had the lowest survival rate and feed efficiency in comparison with other treatments. Growth performance including final weight and specific growth rate (SGR) significantly increased with increasing feeding rate (p< 0.05). The relationship between SGR (% per day) and ration level (% per day) was an asymptotic curve described as SGR=0.3196X+0.7319. There were not significant differences in hepatosomatic, viscerosomatic and condition factor indices among different treatments. Based on the above results, it may be concluded that a ration size of 8% of body weight per day is optimal for good growth and feed conversion efficiency of juvenile A. latus in nursery phase.