Influence of body weight/age on the food intake, growth and conversion efficiency of Gambusia affinis

On a restricted food supply of Tubifex tubifex (2h/day) the fish consumed only 69.5 mg dry food/g live fish/day and grew only to 25.6 mg live body weight by the 30th day of it's age, while those fed ad libitum consumed 94.7 mg/g/day and attained a body weight of 125.9 mg live weight by the 30th day. Conversion efficiency (K1) averaged to 8.3% in the former and 14.1% in the latter series, throughout the 30 day experimental period. Feeding rate of the test series fed individually and at ad libitum, decreased from 780 mg dry food/g dry fish/day for a fish weighing 4 mg dry weight to 180 mg/g/ day for one weighing 41 mg, exhibiting a log-log relationship to the body weight (Y = 2.20140-0.5639 X). Growth rate also decreased as a log-log function with increasing body weight (Y = 1.2309-0.4384 X). © 1977 Dr. W. Junk b.v. Publishers