A 50‐day feeding trial was conducted to examine the effects of dietary protein and lipid levels on growth, feed utilization, body composition and swimming performance of giant croaker, Nibea japonica. Fish (initial body weight 44.6 g ind−1) were fed ten test diets which were formulated at 5 crude protein levels (360, 400, 440, 480 and 520 g kg−1) and 2 crude lipid levels (90 and 150 g kg−1). In addition, a raw fish diet (fillet of small yellow croaker) served as the reference. The weight gain (WG) increased, whereas the feed intake (FI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) decreased, with increasing dietary protein level from 360 to 520 g kg−1. At the same dietary protein level, no significant difference was found in the WG between fish fed the diets containing 90 or 150 g kg−1 crude lipid. Fish fed the diet containing 480 g kg−1 crude protein and 90 g kg−1 crude lipid exhibited higher WG, nitrogen retention efficiency (NRE) and energy retention efficiency (ERE) but lower nitrogen wastes output (TNW). At the end of the feeding trial, the hepatosomatic index (HSI) and viscerosomatic index (VSI) decreased, whereas the body protein content increased, with increase in dietary protein level. The body lipid content was higher in fish fed at the 150 g kg−1 lipid level than in fish fed at the 90 g kg−1 lipid level. No significant difference was found in the maximum sustained swimming speed (MSS) between fish fed at different dietary protein and lipid levels. The WG, NRE, ERE and condition factor (CF) were higher, whereas the FI, FCR, HSI, VSI and TNW were lower, in fish fed the raw fish diet than in fish fed the diet containing 480 g kg−1 crude protein and 90 g kg−1 crude lipid. No significant difference was detected in the MSS between fish fed the raw fish diet and diet containing 480 g kg−1 crude protein and 90 g kg−1 crude lipid. The results of this study suggest that the suitable dietary crude protein and crude lipid levels are 480 g kg−1 and 90 g kg−1 for giant croaker reared in net pens.

The e¡ect of dietary protein level on the apparent digestibility coe⁄cient (ADC) of meat and bone meal and rapeseed meal for Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus L. was examined. Three reference diets were formulated to contain 240 (RD24), 350 (RD35) and 450 (RD45) g kg À 1 crude protein, and chromic oxide was added at 10 g kg À 1 in the reference diets as an inert indicator. Six test diets were formulated by mixing one of the reference diets with each test ingredient at a ratio of 70:30. Fish (initial body weight101.0 AE 0.6 g) were fed reference diets for 3 days and then fed test diets in the following 4 days cyclically for 4 weeks. Faeces of ¢sh fed each reference diet or test diet was collected from the third day of each diet conversion. Dietary protein level signi¢cantly a¡ected the ADC of protein and energy of reference diets, test diets and test ingredients. The ADC of protein and energy of meat and bone meal and rapeseed meal was the highest when these ingredients were mixed with diet RD35. The scope of variation in the ADC of protein and energy of meat and bone meal was 8% (from 69.9% to 78.3%) and 8% (from 70.2% to 78.0%), and the scope of variation in the ADC of protein and energy of rapeseed meal was 4% (from 79.8% to 83.3%) and 5% (from 56.0% to 60.7%) when the dietary protein level was increased from 300 to 480 g kg À 1 . This indicates that the ADC of protein and energy of meat and bone meal and rapeseed meal for Nile tilapia varied considerably at di¡erent dietary protein levels.