Optimal Feed Formulation for Abalone Growth: Kelp-Ulva-Spirulina Synergy via RSM

This study investigates the natural feed supplements (kelp, ulva, and spirulina) on abalone growth, offering a nutritional solution to problems faced in abalone farming, like insufficient nutrient availability and reliance on expensive commercial feeds.It is a 3month experiment with a sample size of 50 abalones per treatment group.Using Response Surface Methodology, quadratic models predicting abalone growth based on supplement percentages were developed.The study found that kelp and spirulina feed supplements had the most significant and least significant impact on abalone growth, respectively.The optimal feed composition was discovered at 8.63557% kelp, 8.83486% ulva, 6.06173% spirulina, yielding a 25.17% increase in weight and a 17.42% increase in shell width compared to the control group.This has yielded 3.34857 g/month and 1.07576 mm/month as the predicted responses for abalone weight gain and shell width.The high model's determination coefficient (R² = 0.965) and statistically significant regression coefficients (p = 0.0190) established its reliability and accuracy.The research's outcomes integrate numerical applications to make them practical for Abalone breeders, leading to precise predictions and adjustments of feed composition at the optimal level to enhance abalone growth and help in refining abalone farming management techniques to achieve optimized farming practices.