An 8-week study was conducted on the use of native tapioca starch (TS) or pre-gelatinized tapioca starch (PGTS), with or without the inclusion of isomaltooligosaccharides (IMO) at 0.5% on the growth, feeding efficiencies, muscle and plasma biochemical composition, intestinal short chain fatty acids (SCFA), differential cell counts, phagocytic ability/capacity, and liver glycogen content in African catfish, Clarias gariepinus. Each treatment was triplicated with each replicate consisting of 10 fish (initial weight of 6.2 ± 0.3 g). The bulk density (BD), pellet durability index (PDI), water stability (WS), water absorption index (WAI), water solubility index (WSI), and protein solubility (PS) were measured in all experimental diets. The results showed no significant (p > 0.05) growth differences among the treatments, but feed intake was significantly lowest (p < 0.05) in the PGTS diet, followed by the PGTS + IMO, while the significantly (p < 0.05) highest was in the TS treatment. Catfish fed the PG diets had significantly (p < 0.05) higher crude lipid but significantly (p < 0.05) lower crude protein and ash compared to those fed the TS diets. Both trypsin and chymotrypsin activities were significantly (p < 0.05) higher in the PG diets. The TS + IMO diet significantly increased the white blood cells and phagocytic activity compared to the TS diet. Meanwhile, fish fed the PGTS diet had significantly (p < 0.05) lower intestinal acetic and butyric acid than all others, but the inclusion of IMO in the PGTS diet mitigated a decrease of these. The PG starch diets had significantly (p < 0.05) higher PDI, WS, WAI, and PS than the TS diets. The uncompromised growth may have been due to dietary PG starch and IMO enhancing available energy to the fish. The mitigating effect of IMO on increasing intestinal SCFA when using PG diets may have implications to disease management, but requires further investigation.
The feasibility of dietary soybean meal (SBM) replacement for fishmeal was evaluated to the swimming crab Portunus pelagicus juveniles over six consecutive molts by measuring their growth, development, hemolymph cholesterol, triglycerides, phosphate, whole-body crude protein and cholesterol as well as hepatopancreatic trypsin activity, histopathology and glycogen reserves. A total of six isonitrogenous, isolipidic and isoenergetic diets were formulated with SBM replacing fishmeal at 0 (control), 20, 40, 60, 80 or 100% of total dietary protein. Each treatment consisted of 30 replicate crabs starting from the first juvenile stage and after the crabs molted to the seventh stage, three-day post molt crabs were sampled. Results showed that crabs fed the 20% SBM diet had the best growth, which was significantly higher than the control diet (0% SBM). Growth became significantly lower in the 60% dietary SBM treatment and above, while hemolymph cholesterol, triglycerides and phosphate significantly decreased with increasing dietary SBM. The whole-body moisture, crude protein and cholesterol were unaffected by dietary SBM. Meanwhile, hepatopancreatic trypsin activity significantly decreased in the 20 to 60% SBM treatments, with a further significant decrease in the 80 and 100% SBM treatments. Hepatopancreatic damage, significantly fewer epithelial cells and glycogen reserves occurred at 60% SBM and above. Results indicate that dietary SBM can replace up to 40% of fishmeal in the diets of P. pelagicus juveniles without reducing their growth or hepatopancreatic condition.
Three drifting juvenile seahorses (100.3 mm, 89.5 mm, and 55.8 mm in height) were captured during 2 research surveys between shipping routes at Malacca Strait. All seahorse specimens were identified using morphometric data as Hippocampus trimaculatus Leach, 1814. This is the first direct observation of drifting H. trimaculatus seahorse near to the water surface, out of their reported water depth (10-100 m) and demersal habitats. This may provide evidence of translocation and long-distance dispersal of H. trimaculatus in the region.
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