Effects of Feeding Level on the Growth, Energy Budget and Body Biochemical Composition of Chinese Shrimp Fenneropenaeus Chinesis‪.‬

ABSTRACT Chinese shrimp Fenneropenaeus chinensis with wet weight of 3.0 g, 8.0 g, 14.2 g, and 19.0 g were fed at 5 feeding levels of 0, 0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5% of the body weight, and ad libitum to investigate the growth and food conversion efficiency under different feeding levels. The relationship among daily growth coefficient (DGC) (in terms of wet weight, dry weight, protein, and energy), initial body weight (IBW) and feeding level (RL) was well described with the dualistic linear model DGC = B0 + B1 x I[S.sub.W] + B2 x FL. The relationship between food efficiency (FE) in terms of dry weight, protein, and energy of shrimp with different body weight and feeding level was described with the model FC = B0 + B1 x lnFL. DGC and IBW were negatively correlated, regardless of term of wet weight, dry weight, protein, or energy of the shrimp body weight. The maintenance feeding level (MFL) of Chinese shrimp was positively linear correlated to IBW and the maintainable energy intakes (MEI, J/g BW/d) for shrimp with different IBW were: 3.0 g, 218.3/g BW/d; 8.0 g, 213.5 J/g BW/d; 14.2 g, 207.5 J/g BW/d; 19.0 g, 202.9 J/g BW/d. KEY WORDS: feeding level, daily growth coefficient, energy budget, body biochemical composition, Chinese shrimp