Impact of Iso-Protein Feed with Different Carbohydrate and Lipid Ratios on Growth and Feed Efficiency of the Mud Crab, Scylla serrata

The use of artificial feed in mud crab aquaculture continues to be developed considering that feed has an important role in growth, survival, and production costs. The largest production cost comes from feed, especially feed protein. The utilization of carbohydrates and lipids as feed protein savers in mud crab aquaculture has not been widely studied. This study aimed to analyze iso-protein feed with different carbohydrate and lipid ratios on molting, growth, and feed efficiency of mud crab, Scylla serrata. Mud crabs with a weight of 70± 4.7g/ head and a carapace length of 5± 0.5cm were reared using crab boxes and placed in ponds for 60 days. Pterygoplichthys pardalis meal and maggot meal were used as feed protein sources. The treatments in this study were 35% iso-protein feeds with different carbohydrate and lipid ratios: treatments A (31 and 10%), B (33 and 9%), C (34 and 7%), and D (35 and 6%). This study used a completely randomized design consisting of four treatments and three replicates. The parameters observed were molting percentage (MP); growth (absolute weight growth “WG” and specific growth rate “SGR”); feed efficiency (protein retention “PR” & lipid retention “LR”, feed conversion ratio “FCR”, and survival “SR”) in addition to the physical-chemical parameters of the research media. Data were analyzed using a completely randomized design, while water physico-chemistry was analyzed descriptively. The results showed that 35% iso-protein feed with different ratios of carbohydrates and lipids had no significant effect on molting, growth, and feed efficiency. However, there is a trend that the quality of crab meat with the carbohydrate and lipid ratio treatment of 31 and 10% is better than the other treatments. Similar research is still needed with more comprehensive studies and conducted in controlled media so that water quality does not experience extreme fluctuations.