Effects of increasing dietary carbohydrate level on feed utilisation, body composition, liver glycogen, and intestinal short chain fatty acids of hybrid lemon fin barb (Barbonymus gonionotus ♀ X Hypsibarbus wetmorei male ♂)

A 60-day feeding trial was conducted to determine the optimum dietary carbohydrate utilization level for a tropical carp, hybrid lemon fin barb. Five test diets containing increasing amounts of tapioca starch (20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 % diet) were used. Triplicate groups of juvenile hybrid barb (1.15 ± 0.05 g) were fed twice daily to satiation. Although the survival was unaffected by the carbohydrate level, the specific growth rate, weight gain and protein efficiency ratio significantly increased (P