Rearing Performance of Glass Eels (Anguilla marmorata) Fed Diets with Different Inclusion Levels of Blended Squid (Dosidicus gigas) and Acetes (Acetes sebogae)

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This study evaluated the effects of dietary inclusion levels of blended squid (BS) and blended
acetes (BA) on the growth performance, survival, and feed utilization of glass eels (Anguilla
marmorata) during an eight-week nursery rearing period. Seven dietary treatments were
evaluated in a completely randomized design with two replicate tanks per treatment.: a
commercial diet (control), diets containing 25%, 50%, and 75% BS, and diets containing 25%,
50%, and 75% BA. Growth performance, survival, feed utilization, and the proximate
composition of the experimental diets were assessed to determine the potential of blended squid
and blended acetes as alternative dietary ingredients for glass eel culture.
Dietary inclusion levels significantly affected the final weight, weight gain, and specific growth
rate of glass eels. Fish fed the 25% BA diet exhibited the highest values for these growth
parameters, while the 50% BS diet also showed favorable growth performance. Although feed
conversion ratio and survival did not differ significantly among treatments, the 25% BA diet
produced the lowest numerical feed conversion ratio. Proximate composition analysis showed
that the 25% BA and 50% BS diets contained relatively higher crude protein and balanced lipid
levels than most other dietary formulations. Overall, the findings suggest that moderate dietary
inclusion levels of blended acetes, particularly at 25%, and blended squid at 50% may enhance
the growth performance and feed utilization of glass eels under nursery rearing conditions.
Further studies with increased replication and longer culture periods are recommended to validate
these findings for broader aquaculture applications.