Requirement for digestible lysine in Nile tilapias (Oreochromis niloticus) with live weight between 500 and 600 g

The present study was carried out with the objective of determining the requirements for digestible lysine in Nile tilapia during the 500 to 600 g live weight stage. Isocaloric and isonitrogenous diets were tested with increasing amounts of digestible lysine. L-lysine HCl (78%) were used to replace glutamic acid at increasing levels, resulting in treatments of 9.3, 12.3, 15.3, 18.3 and 21.3 g kg-1 of digestible lysine. Three hundred Nile tilapias with an average weight of 519 ± 27.23 g were used and distributed among 25 tanks. The physical and chemical parameters of the water were pH, dissolved oxygen, salinity, conductivity and temperature. The mortality rate was registered daily. Two slaughters were performed at 28 and 50 days after the beginning of the experiment. It was estimated that an amount of 13.1 g kg-1 of digestible lysine was ideal for obtaining higher WG. Fish slaughtered after 50 days, the digestible lysine requirements were determined to be 14.5 g kg-1 for the lowest carcass humidity and 14.6 g kg-1 for the greatest carcass ethereal extract. Nile tilapias with live weight between 500 and 600 grams require 13.1 g kg-1 of digestible lysine in the diet for greater WG (90.53 g) and better FCR (2.55).