Effect of dietary protein level on the growth and survival of preadult freshwater crayfish Cherax quadricarinatus (von Martens) in monosex culture

Feeding trials with five levels of crude protein (CP) (22%, 27%, 33%, 39%, and 45%) and digestible energy ranging from 14.32 to 15.21 kJ g-1 were carried out to determine optimum dietary protein for the growth and production of pre-adult freshwater crayfish Cherax quadricarinatus. Triplicate groups of males (=23.1±0.58 g) and females (=21.8±0.33 g) were fed diets for 70 days in monosex culture. Optimal digestible protein (DP) was estimated for males by fitting mean weight gain to a quadratic model (y=27.86+0.839x–0.0216x2, r2=0.945), and a linear model for females (y=32.84–0.0745x, r2=0.959). Optimal male growth occurred with 25.6% CP, equivalent to 19.4% DP. Male crayfish attained significantly higher final weights and absolute growth rate than females fed the 22%, 27%, and 33% CP diets. The results indicated that a 19.4% DP diet, with a P/E ratio of 11.4 mg kJ-1, produces an optimum growth response for pre-adult C. quadricarinatus under experimental conditions.