THE FOOD AND FEEDING OF SEABASS Lates calcarifer GROUPER Epinephelus tauvina AND RABBITFISH Siganus NATIONAL SEAFARMING DEVELOPMENT CENTRE LAMPUNG, INDONESIA

INS/81/008/TECHNICAL PAPER/13

DECEMBER 1989

CONTENTS

Albert G.J. Tacon

Feed and Nutrition Advisor
FAO/UNDP Seafarming Development Project INS/81/008

and

Nur Rausin
Muhammad Kadari
Nico Runtuboy
Astuti
Warsono
Suyanto
Bambang Purwanto
Sunaryat

Project Document Identification

Part II F. Activities

Prepare seafarming manuals and other technical information

This report was prepared during the course of the project identified on the title page. Any mention of companies and their products does not imply endorsement. The designation employed and presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and UNDP concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area of its authorities or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

PREPARATION OF THIS DOCUMENT

This report is based on the cage fish feeding trials conducted by Dr. Albert G.J. Tacon, INS/81/008 Feed and Nutrition Advisor, between 7 December 1988 and 31 December 1989 and is a continuation of the INS/81/008 feed development programme initiated by Professor Samuel P. Meyers, Feed and Nutrition Consultant. For full details of the activities of professor Meyers see INS/81/008/GENERAL REPORT/1 (Feed formulation, equipment and training in Indonesia; Meyers, S.P., 1987), INS/81/008/GENERAL REPORT/5 (A summary follow-up report for the Seafarming Project INS/81/008 at Teluk Hurun, Lampung, Sumatra, Indonesia; Meyers, S.P., 1987), INS/81/008/WORKING PAPER/7 (Considerations in feed development with emphasis on fish nutrition; Meyers, S.P., 1986), INS/81/008/MANUAL/10 (Instruction manual on feed equipment use and aquatic feed manufacture; Meyers, S.P., 1986) and INS/81/008/TECHNICAL PAPER/5 (Observations on the growth and survival of rabbitfish Siganus canaliculatus on three formulated diets; Meyers et al. 1989).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors would like to thank Dr. Banchong Tiensongrusmee (INS/81/008 Chief Technical Advisor) and Mr. Kisto Mintardjo (INS/81/008 Project Co-Team Leader) for their constant encouragement and support. Appreciation is also extended for the technical support given by the staff of the National Seafarming Development Centre, including Mr. Murdjani, Mr. Hartono, Mr. Bambang Rahardjo, Mr. Aji, Ms. Nirasari, Mr. Oyon, Mr. Ruslan, Ms. Muawanah and Mr. Memet. Materials used during the feeding trials were donated by P.T. Charoen Pokphand Indonesia Animal Feedmill Co., Lt. (fish meal, soybean meal, squid liver powder, shrimp head meal, zeolite, fish oil, soybean oil, rice bran, wheat pollards, wheat flour, wheat gluten, AGJT/F1 vitamin premix, chicken broiler starter diet No. 511, carp starter diet No. 788), P.T. Agro Utama Corporation (shrimp finisher pellet No. 588), P.T. Rosindo husada pratama (choline chloride), P.T. Jaka Utama Kraftfutter (soy lecithin), Lysi HF (fish liver oil) and P> T > Astabumi Ciptadaya (Suehiro UGF). Particular thanks are extended to Dr. Ken Hazen (Area Manager Feed Research and Development) of P.T Charoen Pokphand Indonesia Animal Feedmill for his technical support and assistance in undertaking the chemical analyses of the dietary feed ingredients, diets and fish carcasses. Finally, special thanks must also be given to Mr. Peter Cornelis (visiting research scientist) for his valuable assistance during the cage feeding trials.

ABSTRACT

Four cage feeding trials involving a total of fifteen different dietary feeding regimes were conducted with seabass (Lates calcarifer), grouper (Epinephelus tauvina) and rabbitfish (Siganus canaliculatus) from fingerling to market size over a 100 to 156-day rearing period. Seabass fed frozen fish or a moist pellet displayed the best growth response, with fish (30/m3) growing from an initial weight of 8.9g and 8.5g to a final weight of 285.5g and 257.5g in 156 days, with a food conversion ratio of 3.77 – 5.10 (dry matter basis 0.96 – 1.30) and 1.89 – 3.20 (dry matter basis 1.15 – 1.95), and with a survival of 93.3% and 93.3%, respectively. During the seabass trial the estimated feeding cost/kg fish produced was Rp 1458 – 1964 and Rp 1537 – 2584 for fish fed frozen fish and moist pellet, respectively. Grouper fed frozen fish and moist pellet also displayed the best growth response, with fish (30/m3) growing from an initial weight of 23.8g and 25.8g to a final weight of 471.7g and 388.7g in 156 days, with a food conversion ratio of 3.53 – 4.16 (dry matter basis 0.89 – 1.06) and 1.73 – 2.96 (dry matter basis 1.06 – 1.80), and with a survival of 90% and 98.3%, respectively. During the grouper trial the estimated feeding cost/kg fish produced was Rp 1342 – 1603 and Rp 1382 – 2396 for fish fed frozen fish and moist pellet, respectively. In the case of rabbitfish, the best growth was observed for fish fed a dry in-house crumble containing 31% crude protein; fish (15/m3) growing from an initial weight of 51.7g to a final weight of only 110.3g in 100 days, with a food conversion ratio of 3.48 (dry matter basis 3.08) and estimated feeding cost/kg fish produced of Rp 2349. However, all rabbitfish fed formulated rations displayed marked sexual activity by the end of the feeding trial (62 – 93% of the fish yielding milt or eggs on hand stripping). Finally, a fourth cage culture trial was conducted to ascertain the possible use of kerosene pressure lamps and generator powered fluorescent strip lights at night to attract live food fish directly into net cages containing juvenile seabass and grouper, with no use of exogenous dietary feeds. A positive growth response was observed with seabass and to a lesser extent with grouper with increasing net mesh size and decreasing fish stocking density; seabass juveniles at the lowest tested density of 10 fish/m3 displaying a final mean weight gain of - 15.96%, 3.63% and 52.04% within 1mm, 13mm and 19mm mesh cages over a 63 day culture period, respectively. Fuel cost per night (1800h - 0600h) ranged from Rp 1925 for the fluorescent strip lights to Rp 3360 for the kerosene pressure lamps.

National Counterpart Staff
National Seafarming Development Centre
Directorate General of Fisheries
P.O.Box 74/TK Teluk Betung 35401
Lampung, Indonesia

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