Fish meal replacement in diet for Nile tilapia

Egyptian research compared a commercial tilapia diet containing 20% fish meal and 30% soybean meal to diets with all of the protein coming from soybean meal with graded levels of L-lysine supplementation formulated for Nile tilapia fingerlings. After feeding for ten weeks, the diet containing 55% soybean meal and 0.5% L-lysine was significantly (P>0.05) better than the commercial tilapia diet with respect to final weight, weight gain, feed conversion, protein efficiency ratio and feed intake. This diet had the highest digestibility coefficients for protein, fat and energy. These researchers suggested that a diet with 55% soybean meal supplemented with 0,05% L-lysine can totally replace fish meal in a diet for Nile tilapia fingerings without adverse effect on fish performance.

ElSaidy, D.M.S.D. and M.M.A. Gaber. 2002. Complete replacement of fish meal by soybean meal with dietary L-lysine supplementation for Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus (L.) fingerings. J. World Aquaculture Soc. 33(3): 297-306.