Effects of the Dietary Moisture Levels and Feeding Rate on the Growth and Gastric Evacuation of Young Olive Flounder Paralichthys olivaceus

This study determined the effects of the dietary moisture level and feeding rate on the growth and gastric evacuation of young olive flounder. Four experimental diets with different moisture levels (9%, 21%, 30%, and 40%) were prepared through the addition of water to the commercial extruded pellet. Three replicate groups of fish (initial weight: <TEX>106±1.4\;g</TEX>) were fed diets containing 9%, 21%, 30%, and 40% moisture to satiation or a moisture level of 9% and 30% at a restricted feeding rate (95% of satiation) for 15 weeks. The mean water temperature was <TEX>22±1.6∘C</TEX> during the feeding trial. Gastric evacuation rates were determined post-feeding. The dietary moisture levels did not significantly affect weight gain, but the weight of the fish receiving 9% and 30% moisture diets to 95% satiation were significantly lower than those of the fish fed 9-40% moisture diets to 100% satiation (P<0.05). The feed efficiency, protein efficiency ratio, viscerosomatic index, and survival were not significantly affected by the dietary moisture levels and feeding rates. The daily feed intake of the fish fed to 100% satiation did not significantly differ among the treatment groups. The stomach contents that peaked within 3 h of feeding gradually decreased, and the stomachs of fish were completely evacuated within 18 h. The contents of the intestine peaked at 3-12 h post-feeding, and then declined with the intestine being mostly evacuated at 30 h. The moisture of the stomach contents reached approximately 70% within 3 h post-feeding and gradually increased to approximately 75% within 12 h. No considerable differences were observed in the gastric evacuation and moisture levels of the stomach contents in the fish fed the different diets. The results of this study suggest that the gastric evacuation of olive flounder was not affected by the dietary moisture level and that the addition of water into the diet displayed no beneficial effects on the growth of young olive flounder.