Total replacement of dietary fish oil with alternative lipid sources in a practical diet for mandarin fish, Siniperca scherzeri, juveniles

A 12-week feeding trial was designed to evaluate the effect of total replacement of fish oil (FO) with terrestrial alternative oils on growth, feed utilization, body composition, hematological parameters, and fillet fatty acid profile of mandarin fish juveniles. Four iso-nitrogenous (56% crude protein) and iso-lipidic (13% crude lipid) practical diets were formulated. A control diet contained 6% FO and three other experimental diets were prepared by replacing FO with linseed oil, soybean oil, and lard (designed as FO, LO, SO, and lard, respectively). Each diet was randomly allocated to triplicate groups of 25 fish ($1.8{\pm}0.03g/fish$) in a circular tank. Complete replacement of FO by three tested alternative oils had no remarkable impact on growth performance, feed utilization efficiency, and morphological and hematological parameters of juvenile mandarin fish. However, daily feed intake was found to be significantly higher for fish fed the SO diet compared with those fed the FO and LO diets. Fish fed LO and SO diets exhibited significantly higher levels of the whole body lipid compared to fish fed diet containing FO. Fillet fatty acid composition reflected dietary fatty acid profile. The highest level of ${\alpha}$-linolenic acid, linoleic acid, and oleic acid was observed in fish fillet fed LO, SO, and lard, respectively. Although the eicosapentaenoic acid level of fish fillet fed diet FO was higher than other treatments, no significant difference was found in docosahexaenoic acid content among all dietary groups. The results of the present study clearly demonstrate that the complete replacement of FO in mandarin fish diets is achievable. These findings are useful in dietary formulation to reduce feed costs without compromising mandarin fish growth.