Lipid to carbohydrate ratio in donkey's ear abalone ( Haliotis asinina, Linne) diets

Five isonitrogenous diets were prepared to vary in the percentage inclusion of lipid/carbohydrate as follows: diet 1, 1.3:47.8%; diet 2, 5.8:43.4%; diet 3, 10.2:39.5%; diet 4, 14.8:36.1%; and diet 5, 19.0:31.4%. The calculated values of gross energy in diets 1 to 5 were 17.6, 18.8, 19.6, 20.6 and 21.6 MJ kg −1 feed, respectively. Abalones, Haliotis asinina, Linne, with a shell length of 11–12 mm and 0.9 g average weight, were stocked in 15 net cages at 50 piece per cage. Three net cages were each fed to satiation once a day in the evening for 28 weeks with growth recorded every 4 weeks. The abalone fed diet 1, containing 1.3% fat and 47.8% carbohydrate obtained the final average body weight that was significantly ( P