The Effect of Starvation and Compensatory Growth on the Feeding,Growth and Body Biochemical Composition of GIFT(Oreochromis niloticus)

The effect of starvation and compensatory growth on growth,feeding and body biochemical composition of Oreochromis niloticus(GIFT)was investigated indoor at 25.5～30.0 ℃.Four treatments with triplicates were designed.The GIFT were starved for 0 d(as control group),5 d,10 d,and 15 d,respectively and then fed 15 d for all groups.After starvation,the loss of body weight increased with the lasting of starvation period,while ash and moisture content increased significantly.The content of crude lipid decreased rapidly during early period of starvation(before 10 d)and then decreased slightly.In contrast,the content of crude protein decreased slightly during early starvation period and rapidly later.The energy of starved GIFT declined with the extension of starvation time.After being re-fed for 15 d,the body biochemical compositions and energy of starved GIFT came back to normal level and were similar to those of control group.During the re-feeding period,the feeding rate of GIFT in starved groups was significantly higher than that in control group.It indicated that the subject starved for 5 d was of full compensatory ability,whereas those starved for 10 d and 15 d had only partial compensation for growth.The compensatory growth occurring after starvation for GIFT mainly resulted from hyperphagia and increase of feeding rate.