Protein requirement of juvenile striped catfish, Pangasianodon hypophthalmus

A trial was conducted to determine the dietary protein requirement for growth of juvenile striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus). Iso-energetic semi-purified diets (~ 19.78 MJ kg−1) with six levels of protein 20% (T1), 25% (T2), 30% (T3), 35% (T4), 40% (T5), and 45% (T6) were fed to triplicate groups of fish (initial mean weight 4.27 to 4.57 g) to satiation twice daily for 60 days. Growth, feed conversion, protein utilization, intestinal digestive enzyme activities, and body composition were measured as response variables. Best growth (P 0.05) was found to be independent of dietary protein levels. Whole body carcass composition (except ether extract) varied with the dietary protein level, and significant higher values of moisture content (72.31%), crude protein (18.83%), and ash content (4.33%) were observed in the treatment group fed with 40% dietary protein. Hence, it may be concluded that the dietary protein requirement for growth of P. hypophthalmus juveniles is 37.1%.