Effect of exogenous tryptophan on cannibalism, survival and growth in juvenile grouper, Epinephelus coioides

J. R. Hseu, F. I. Lu, H. M. Su, L. S. Wang, C. L. Tsai, P. P. Hwang

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

107 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Tryptophan (TRP) is a precursor of serotonin (5-HT), which is known to affect food intake and aggression in vertebrates, including fishes. The effects of TRP-supplemented diets (0.25%, 0.5% and 1% of dry diet) on growth and cannibalism were evaluated in 38-day-old juvenile groupers (200-1 tank, 750 fish per tank, 0.13 g in body weight and 2.16 cm in total length) over 10 days. HPLC analysis showed that TRP-supplemented diets were effective in increasing the levels of 5-HT in the brain of groupers. TRP supplementation resulted in slightly lower cannibalism than in controls. However, body weight and total length of TRP groups were significantly smaller than those of the control. The results indicated that cannibalism among juvenile groupers could be mitigated by the oral administration of TRP, in addition or in place of environmental factors, and the recommendation on supplementary TRP level to be used is 0.5% of dry diet.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)251-263
Number of pages13
JournalAquaculture
Volume218
Issue number1-4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2003 Mar 27

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Aquatic Science

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Effect of exogenous tryptophan on cannibalism, survival and growth in juvenile grouper, Epinephelus coioides'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this