The effects of different levels of EPA AND DHA on lipids metabolism, growth and reproductive performance of rice field eel(Monopterus albus)

A feeding experiment was conducted to investigate the influences of EPA and DHA of dietary lipids on lipids metabolism, growth and reproductive performance of rice field eel (Monopterus albus Zuiew). Fishes of which the average weight was (21.710.54) g were fed with three isonitrogenous and isolipidic experimental diets with the same EPA/DHA ratios (EPA:DHA =0.35) but different amount of EPA and DHA (0.00%, 0.35% and 0.70%, respectively) for seven weeks at room temperature ranging from 22℃ to 30℃, then the lipid metabolism and growth performance were analyzed. After that fifteen fishes from each group were took to keep until gonadal maturation for reproductive performance analysis. Results showed that the diet containing 0.70% of EPA and DHA could promote the growth of rice field eels and significantly increased the specific growth rate (SGR) and the protein content of muscle, but decreased the hepatosomatic index (HSI) and the fat content of liver and muscle (P0.05). Significant increments of spawning quantity, gonadosomatic index (GSI), hatch rates, survival activity index (SAI) were found in the diet containing 0.70% of EPA and DHA (P0.05). No effects were observed on growth performance of rice field eel fed with the diet containing 0.35% of EPA and DHA, while such diet significantly decreased the fat content of liver (P0.05). In conclusion, the EPA and DHA can promote lipids metabolism and improve the growth and reproductive performance of rice field eel (Monopterus albus Zuiew). In the condition of this experiment, the optimal additive amount of EPA and DHA was 0.70%.