EFFECTS OF FEEDING RATE IN SPRING AND SUMMER AND INTERMITTENT FASTING ON THE GROWTH, SURVIVAL AND HEALTH INDICATORS IN HYBRID YELLOW CATFISH “HUANG YOU 1”

To explore a greener and more efficient feeding strategy in hybrid yellow catfish, the current study investigated the effects of feeding rates in the spring (0, 0.5%, and apparent satiety at 2.1%; April 12^th to May 3^rd), and summer (1%, 2%, and apparent satiety at 3.9%; June 1^st to July 13^th) as well as fasting feeding strategies (3 days feeding plus 1 day fasting, 7 days feeding plus 1 day fasting) on the growth, survival, and health indicators in hybrid yellow catfish “Huangyou No.1”. Results showed that in spring, growth rate increased significantly while survival rate decreased significantly as the increasing of feeding rate. The health indicators at the 0.5% feeding rate were significantly better than those at the other two feeding rates. In the summer experiments, growth performance increased significantly with increasing feeding rate. However, growth decreased significantly in the feeding strategy of 3 days feeding plus 1 day fasting, and there was no significant difference between the strategies of 7 days feeding plus 1 day fasting and apparent satiety. Moreover, there were no significant differences in survival rate among different feed rates and feeding strategies in the summer experiments. The health index in 2% feeding rate was significantly better than those groups of 1% feeding rate, apparent satiety, 3 days feeding plus 1 day fasting, 7 days feeding plus 1 day fasting. Combining the above results and production practices, it is recommended that the feeding rate should be around 0.5% for 50g yellow catfish in the spring (water temperature 15℃—26℃). This feeding rate can not only ensure hybrid yellow catfish regains physical fitness in time, but also significantly reduce mortality. For 10 g yellow catfish in the summer (water temperature 26—32℃), the 7 days feeding plus 1 day fasting strategy is recommended, as it ensures the highest growth rate while saving 14% of the total feed input.