A 10‐wk feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the potential use of fermented fisheries by‐products and soybean curd residues mixture (FFSM) as a partial replacement for fish meal (FM) in the diet of juvenile olive flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus. Five experimental diets were formulated with FFSM replacing 0, 15, 30, 45, and 60% of the FM protein (FFSM0, FFSM15, FFSM30, FFSM45, and FFSM60, respectively). Juvenile olive flounder averaging 5.99 ± 0.08 g (mean ± SD) were randomly distributed into aquaria at 15 fish/aquarium, with three replicate aquaria for each experimental diet. Weight gain (WG) of fish fed FFSM0, FFSM15, and FFSM30 was significantly higher than that of fish fed FFSM45 and FFSM60 (P < 0.05). Also, WG of fish fed FFSM45 was significantly higher than that of fish fed FFSM60 (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in WG among fish fed FFSM0, FFSM15, and FFSM30 (P > 0.05). Specific growth rate (SGR) of fish fed FFSM15 was significantly higher than that of fish fed FFSM45 and FFSM60 (P < 0.05). Also, SGR of fish fed FFSM0, FFSM15, FFSM30, and FFSM45 was significantly higher than that of fish fed FFSM60 (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in SGR among fish fed FFSM0, FFSM15, and FFSM30 and among those fed FFSM0, FFSM30, and FFSM45 (P > 0.05). Feed efficiency (FE) and protein efficiency ratio (PER) of fish fed FFSM60 were significantly lower than those of fish fed FFSM0, FFSM15, FFSM30, and FFSM45 (P < 0.05); however, there were no significant differences in FE and PER among fish fed FFSM0, FFSM15, FFSM30, and FFSM45. Hepatosomatic index of fish fed FFSM0, FFSM15, and FFSM30 was significantly higher than that of fish fed FFSM60 (P < 0.05); however, there were no significant differences among fish fed FFSM0, FFSM15, FFSM30, and FFSM45 and among those fed FFSM45 and FFSM60. No significant differences were observed in condition factor and survival rate among all dietary groups tested. The whole‐body proximate composition averaged 75.0 (% dry matter basis [DM]), 8.66 (% DM), 16.38 (% DM), and 76.1%, for crude protein, crude lipid, ash, and moisture, respectively. Based on growth performance, the FFSM could replace up to 30% FM protein by the ANOVA test; however, broken‐line model analysis indicated 28.7% as an optimum replacement level in juvenile olive flounder diets.

This study was conducted to evaluate the dietary α‐tocopherol (vitamin E) requirement in juvenile sea cucumber, Apostichopus japonicus. Sea cucumbers averaging 1.48 ± 0.07 g (mean ± SD) were randomly distributed into 18 rectangular plastic tanks of 20 L capacity in a recirculating system (20 animals per tank). Six semi‐purified experimental diets with average protein and crude lipid levels (dry matter) of 29.7 ± 0.36% and 4.39 ± 0.23% (mean ± SD), respectively were formulated to contain 0 (E4), 15 (E12), 30 (E23), 60 (E44), 120 (E77) and 600 (E378) mg α‐tocopherol/kg diet, supplied as dl‐α‐tocopheryl acetate. Diets were analyzed for α‐tocopherol content by HPLC and the α‐tocopherol levels were 4.01, 12.4, 23.1, 44.3, 77.4 and 378 mg α‐tocopherol/kg diet for E4, E12, E23, E44, E77 and E378 diets, respectively. Casein and defatted fish meal were used as the protein sources in the diets while wheat flour was the carbohydrate source. Sea cucumbers were fed each of the six experimental diets in triplicate groups. At the end of the 14‐week feeding trial, weight gain (WG), specific growth rate (SGR) and feed efficiency (FE) of sea cucumbers fed on E23, E44, E77 and E378 diets were significantly (P < 0.05) higher than those of animals fed on E4 and E12 diets. However, there were no significant differences in WG, SGR and FE among sea cucumbers fed on E23, E44, E77 and E378 diets or among those fed on E4 and E12 diets. Survival of sea cucumbers fed on E44, E77 and E378 diets were significantly higher than those of animals fed on E4, E12 and E23 diets. However, there were no significant differences among sea cucumbers fed on E4, E12 and E23 diets or among those fed on E44 and E77 diets. Whole‐body vitamin E concentration increased with α‐tocopherol content of the diets. Broken line analysis of WG showed an optimum dietary α‐tocopherol requirement of 41 mg α‐tocopherol/kg diet in sea cucumber. These results indicated that the optimum dietary α‐tocopherol requirement in sea cucumber in the form of dl‐α‐tocopheryl acetate could be higher than 23.1 mg α‐tocopherol/kg diet but lower than 44 mg α‐tocopherol/kg diet.

The present study was conducted to determine the safe and toxic levels of dietary copper in juvenile olive flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus, fed Mintrex® copper, a chelated dietary copper source. Fish averaging 3.8 ± 0.13 g (mean ± SD) were fed 1 of 10 diets (n = 3) containing 7 (Cu0), 10.4 (CuM5), 15.8 (CuM10), 24.9 (CuM20), 43.4 (CuM40), 82.1 (CuM80), 158 (CuM160), 308 (CuM320), 658 (CuM640), and 1267 (CuM1280) mg Cu/kg diet. At the end of 12 wk of feeding trial, weight gain (WG), specific growth rate, and protein efficiency ratio of fish fed CuM5 and CuM10 diets were significantly higher than those fed CuM80, CuM160, CuM320, CuM640, and CuM1280 diets (P < 0.05). Survival of fish fed Cu0, CuM5, CuM10, CuM20, and CuM40 diets was significantly higher than those of fish fed CuM320, CuM640, and CuM1280 diets. Whole‐body lipid content of fish decreased while whole‐body ash increased with dietary copper levels. Whole‐body and tissue copper concentrations increased with dietary copper levels. Although ANOVA test suggested that the toxic level of dietary Cu in juvenile olive flounder, P. olivaceus, could be 320 mg/kg diet, broken‐line analysis of WG indicated a level of 286 mg/kg diet when Mintrex®Cu is used as the dietary copper source.

A 10‐wk feeding experiment was conducted to evaluate the potential use of fermented soybean curd residues (FSCR) as an energy source in diets for juvenile olive flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus. Five isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets were formulated to contain dry soybean curd residues to replace wheat meal (WM) at the levels of 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100% (FSCR0, FSCR25, FSCR50, FSCR75, and FSCR100, respectively). Fish averaging 6.00 ± 0.07 g (mean ± SD) were randomly distributed into 15 aquaria as groups of 15 fish and fed the experimental diets in triplicate at a rate of 4–5% of wet body weight per day twice daily on dry matter basis. At the conclusion of the feeding trial, weight gain (WG) and specific growth rate (SGR) of fish fed diet FSCR25 were significantly higher than those of fish fed diets FSCR50, FSCR75, and FSCR100 (P < 0.05); however, there were no significant differences in WG and SGR among fish fed diets FSCR0 and FSCR25 and among those fed diets FSCR0 and FSCR50. Feed efficiency and protein efficiency ratio of olive flounder fed diet FSCR25 were significantly higher than those of fish fed diets FSCR50, FSCR75, and FSCR100 (P < 0.05); however, there were no significant differences in these parameters among fish fed diets FSCR0 and FSCR25 and among those fed diets FSCR0, FSCR50, FSCR75, and FSCR100. Hematological characteristics, condition factor, hepatosomatic index, and survival rate of fish fed FSCR0 were not significantly different from those of fish fed the other diets. These results indicated that FSCR could replace up to 50% WM as an energy source in juvenile olive flounder diets based on ANOVA test.