This 6-week study examined the influence of water temperature on growth, condition factor, feed consumption, feed efficiency, and proximate body composition for young of the year feed trained largemouth bass (LMB) fingerlings.
Seven individual recirculating systems with four replicate aquarium tanks per system were randomly assigned a temperature treatment (15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, and 33?). Each tank was stocked with 25 feed-trained fingerling LMB (6.5g ± 0.40/ fish) and fed twice daily by hand to apparent satiation with slow-sinking commercial trout feed (45% protein, 20% fat). Water quality was monitored to maintain conditions suitable for growth. Weight and length for each fish was recorded at the end of the study. Fish in each aquarium were frozen and subsequently processed for proximate body composition. Significant differences were determined with One-Way ANOVA, and relationships described with regression analysis.
Feed consumption and growth among treatments increased to a maximum and then decreased with increasing temperature. Specific growth rate (SGR), final length and weight, feed consumption, and body weight gain (%) were significantly higher at 27? (P<0.05). Regression equation maximum for SGR was 28.45? with an R2 of 0.97. Feed efficiency was significantly higher at 24? (P<0.05). Regression equation maximum for feed efficiency was 24.91? with an R2 of 0.85. There was no significant difference in survival among treatments. Proximate body composition results will be reported in the presentation.