The channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) is the most widely cultured foodfish in the U.S., thus most of the nutrient requirement data are available for this species. Qualitatively, about 40 nutrients have been identified as necessary for the normal metabolic function of the channel catfish with quantitative requirement values available for about 30 nutrients including amino acids, fatty acids, minerals and vitamins. Additional information is available on protein and energy requirements, digestible protein and energy coefficients as well as amino acid availability values. Thus adequate nutritional information is available to formulate high quality practical channel catfish feeds.Only limited nutrient requirement data are available for the other Siluroidei species. Some requirement data have been reported for a few species from Africa (Clarias gariepinus, C. isheriensis, Heterobranchus longifilis and H. bidorsalis), Asia (Clarias batrachus, C. macrocephalus, C. fuscus and Heteropneustes,fossilis) and Europe (Silurus glanis). The available requirement data will be summarized and compared with the requirement data for the channel catfish. Some variation does appear to exist in optimum dictary protein levels, essential fatty acid requirements, and lipid vs carbohydrate utilization.

The fatty acid profile of four different genetic strains of Clarias gariepinus: gold (G), Netherlands (N), RAU (K) and Wild (W) were evaluated. Fertilised eggs and larvae of the four strains were maintained under identical environmental conditions. After nine weeks, the two faster growing strains (G and W) had less total body lipid than the others (N and R). The total saturated (SFA), monounsaturated (MUFA) and polyunsaturated (PUFA) fatty acids of the four strains were: G – 32.1; 26.8 and 37.9%; N – 33.5; 27.8 and 35.5%; R – 32.7; 29.0 and 35.4%; W – 32.9; 27.7 and 36.8%, respectively. The major fatty acids that showed statistically significant differences between strains were: C16:0, C18:1ω9, C22:5ω3 and C22:6ω3. The G strain had a significantly higher ω3/ω6 ratio (2.2) compared to that of the other strains (N – 1.9; K – 1.9 and W – 1.9). In a second trial, juveniles of strain G were fed an artificial diet for 60 days containing no lipid (A, control), or the following lipids at 10% of the diet, sunflower oil (B. a high level of C18:lω9 and C18:2ω6), cod liver oil (C, a high level of 20 and 22 Cω3 fatty acids) and tallow (D, predominantly SFA and MUFA). Muscle total lipid composition was strongly influenced by diet and contained the following SFA, MUFA and PUFA percentages, and a ω3/ω6 ratio of: A – 35.9; 45.3; 15.0% and 0.5; B – 30.6; 33.4; 33.6% and 0.1; C – 33.2; 37.2; 23.6% and 1.8; D – 38.7; 45.3; 12.1% and 0.4, respectively.

With the aim of improving dry diets for first feeding of Heterobranchus longifilis larvae, the effect of dietary lipid sources on growth rate, survival rate and fatty acid composition of fry from 2 days up to 17 days of age was evaluated. Six feeding regimes were tested: Artemia nauplii which served as a reference, and 5 experimental dry diets differing only by the lipid source. The different oils used for the different experimental diets were the following: cod liver oil, palm oil, copra oil, peanut oil and cotton seed oil. Each diet was tested on duplicate groups of 400 larvae placed in the 40 l tanks of a recirculating system (27-29 °C) and fed to excess six times per day every 4 hours. Separation and identification of the fatty acids of diets, eggs and fry were carried out by gas-liquid chromatography. After 15 days of feeding, survival rates were high for all treatments (71-87%) and did not differ significantly. By contrast, growth rates were largely influenced by the feeding regime. Fry fed with Artemia were significantly bigger (289 mg) than those fed artificial dry diets (79-115 mg). However, it was found that the specific growth rate of fry fed Artemia was superior to that of fry receiving dry diets only for fish of less than 50 mg body weight, indicating that Artemia presents a nutritional advantage only for fry at their youngest stages of development (first 6 days of feeding). Among the artificial dry diets, the best results were obtained with diets containing palm or copra oil, the lowest growth rate being observed with the cod liver oil diet. Peanut and cotton seed oil diets led to intermediate results. The fatty acid composition of the whole fry reflected that of the experimental diets. All together, the results indicated the existence of an optimal ratio between n-3 and n-6 fatty acids for covering essential fatty acids requirement of the fry. Growth rates tended to be reduced by an excess of n-3 fatty acids (cod liver oil) or by an excess in n-6 fatty acids (cotton seed oil) as well. Evidence of the occurrence of HUFA (20:4n-6 and 22:6n-3) biosynthesis are given.

This study was undertaken in a pond used for natural spawning of pike. Zooplankton and pike larvaewere sampled using a horizontal haul net (120 μm or 1 mm mesh size) through the aquatic vegetation. Among the different class sizes of larvae, one cohort was isolated (11.1 mm < L < 46 mm), in which larval pike first fed on small Cyclopoids then switched to Cladocerans until they fed on insect larvae. Length (1.2 mm/day) and weight growth were found to be fast. Between day 8 and day 13 of exogenous feeding there was a marked decrease of reserve lipids of larvae. This decrease coincided with a lower growth and seemed to be ascribable to changes from Cyclopoid (60.4% of ingested prey) to 2 species of Cladoceran (42.4% and 36.4% of ingested prey), in the feeding sequence of larvae. Pike probably found difficulties in capturing Cyclopoid and digesting Cladocerans as their alimentary canal was not completely developed. After day 13, Cladoceran digestibility was good as the S-bend gut was formed, when triacylglycerol content of larvae increased until the experiment ceased. As indicators, of good growth, we detected increasing amounts of phospholipids throughout the whole study. The fatty acid composition of larval triacylglycerolsappeared to be very similar to the composition of zooplankton lipids. Dietary fatty acids could havebeen incorporated whithout modification into triacylglycerols and into phospholipids possibly with limited elongation/desaturation. The results suggest that pike larvae require both (n-3) FA and (n-6) FA.