Sea-based cage culture of red tilapia (Oreochromis spp.) juveniles: Effects of different cyclic feeding regimes on compensatory growth, feed utilization efficiency, biochemical composition, and water quality
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Red tilapia (Oreochromis spp.) is a valuable aquaculture species due to its rapid growth, salinity tolerance, and adaptability to diverse environmental conditions. A 60?day feeding trial was conducted in sea?based cages (2× 2× 2 m) at 37 fish?m-3 (equivalent to 296 fish?cage-1) to assess the effects of cyclic feeding regimes (CFRs) on growth performance, feed utilization efficiency, biochemical composition, condition factor, survival, and water quality of red tilapia juveniles. Tilapia juveniles (10.67±0.50 g; mean ±SEM) were subjected to three feeding strategies: continuous daily feeding (control), 1:6 CFR (1?day starvation followed by 6 days refeeding), and 2:5 CFR (2?days starvation followed by 5 days refeeding). The results showed that fish subjected to 1?day starvation exhibited compensatory growth (CG), with final body weight (FBW), weight gain (WG), specific growth rate (SGR), protein efficiency ratio (PER), feed conversion ratio (FCR), and condition factor (CF) comparable to the control group. In contrast, 2?day starvation (2:5 CFR) significantly reduced growth performance compared to the control group. FCR, PER, and CF of red tilapia juveniles were not significantly affected by CFRs. Correlation analysis revealed a strongly significant negative relationship between CFRs and FBW (r = ?0.91), WG (r = ?0.91), and SGR (r = ?0.90), while it showed a moderately significant negative correlation with FBL (r = ?0.65), LI (r = ?0.65), and PER (r = ?0.62). A strong positive correlation was also observed between CFR and survival rate (r = 0.90), indicating that cyclic feeding schedules significantly influence the survival of red tilapia juveniles. Biochemical analysis indicated decreased crude protein and increased lipid content with longer starvation periods. Salinity showed a moderate positive correlation with CFRs (r = 0.76) and dissolved oxygen (DO; r = 0.79), and a strong negative correlation with pH (r = ?0.82). Hyperphagia during refeeding was identified as the primary mechanism for CG. Overall, short-term cyclic feeding (1:6 CFR) offers a viable management strategy to reduce feed costs while maintaining growth and sustainability in sea-based tilapia farming.
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