Dietary taurine improved growth performance, nutrient utilization, and antioxidant enzyme activities in pangasius Pangasianodon hypophthalmus

Taurine is a β sulphonic amino acid and is conditionally essential for many fish species. In the present study, the effect of dietary taurine (tau) on Pangasianodon hypophthalmus fry (initial mean weight 0.8 ± 0.6 g) was evaluated by feeding six isonitrogenous (370 g/kg crude protein) and isolipidic (100 g/kg crude lipid) casein‐based purified diets with graded levels of tau at 0 (basal diet), 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 g/kg feed. Fish were randomly stocked in triplicate groups in 100 L plastic tubs and fed to apparent satiation over two feedings at 10.00 and 16.00 hr daily for 45 days. Final weight, weight gain, specific growth rate, and protein efficiency ratio improved significantly (p