Response of Rainbow Trout, (Oncorhynchus mykiss, Walbaum 1792) to Short Term Starvation Periods and Re-Feeding

World Journal of Fish and Marine Sciences 5 (5): 474-480, 2013

Abstract:

In present study the effects of short-term starvation and refeeding on growth, feeding performances
and body composition of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) with an average initial weight of 17.50±0.5 g
were studied. After 2 weeks adaptation to experimental condition, 270 fish in four treatments were randomly
distributed in twelve 100L cylindrical fiberglass tanks with a flow-through system. The fish were exposed to 4
different feeding regimes; control: fed two times daily to apparent satiation; T1: 1 day starvation and 2 days
refeeding; T2: 1 day starvation and 4 days refeeding; T3: 3 days starvation and 12 days refeeding. Short terms
starvation and refeeding was continued for 30days. At the end of the experiment, growth performance did not
vary significantly (P<0.05) between the control and treatments. Although daily food consumption was
significantly (P<0.05) higher in T1, but there weren’t any significant differences in feeding performance
including: FCR, FER and PER. Total body moisture, ash, protein and lipid contents did not fluctuate between
the control and treatments. At the end of the experiment all experimental treatments showed complete
compensation suggesting that this feeding schedules are useful for distancing inappropriate environmental
conditions and economical exploitation in rainbow trout farms as a management instrument.