Abstract
To find the adequate feeding condition in ayu Plecoglossus altivelis culture, fish averaging 5.1g in body weight were reared on different feeding regimes. Group I and III were satiated two and four times daily, respectively. Group II was fed a diet equivalent to 60% of the diet fed to group III with four daily feedings. The effects were assessed by growth, anatomical measurements, and biochemical parameters.
Growth and feed conversion efficiency were not significantly different among the three groups. While stomach volume was not significantly different, the intestine was longer in the fish fed four times daily with restricted diets (group II). The serum glucose level increased with feeding frequency. Hepatic enzymes, glucose-6-phosphatase and alanine aminoacyl transaminase, which are associated with glycol-ysis and amino acid turnover, were higher in group II.
Following the feeding experiment, the fish were kept without feeding for 23 days. Mortality and body weight loss were lower in the group reared on four daily feeding with restricted diets. Feeding four times daily with restricted rations resulted in high growth performance and normal physiological conditions.
