Effect of Feeding Frequency on Growth Rate, Body Composition and Gastric Evacuation of Juvenile GIFT Strain of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

The specific objectives of this study were to determine the optimum feeding frequency in juvenile GIFT (Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia) strain of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), for growth rate, body composition, and gastric evacuation, as well as to investigate the passage of a single meal through the stomach in order to establish gastric evacuation rate. Six treatment groups of juvenile GIFT were fed to satiation with extruded feed, at 6 feeding frequencies: four, three, and two meals a day, and four meals, three, and two meals, every 2 days, for 6 weeks respectively. Each treatment (n=20) was replicated three times. As feeding frequency decreased, the growth rate of the juvenile GIFT decreased gradually. The feed intake of fish fed two meals a day was significantly lower than that of fish fed three meals a day (P <0.05), whereas the feed efficiency ratio of fish fed two meals a day was significantly higher than that of fish fed three meals a day (P<0.05). As feeding frequency decreased, moisture content of fish body increased and the fat and protein contents decreased gradually. Hepatosomatic indices of fish fed two, and three meals a day, were not statistically different to each other or to the remaining groups. The livers of all fish were normal. Gastric evacuation of the fish was best evaluated with the square root model. It was estimated that gastric feed contents gradually decreased and reached the prefeeding level within 15 h. Evacuation of 80% would require 9 h which appeared to correspond with the return of appetite. Our results suggest that two meals a day are optimal for growth performance of juvenile GIFT Nile tilapia.