Effects of dietary protein/energy ratio, ration size, dietary energy source and water temperature on nitrogen excretion in rainbow trout

Postprandial nitrogen excretion was measured on groups of rainbow trout of mean body weight (MBW) 35g, fed, from maintenance to near satiation, diets containing graded levels of digestible energy (14 to 20 kJ/g dry matter) with digestible protein (DP)/digestible energy (DE) ratios of 18 and 23 mg/kJ at each protein level (DP: 32.5 or 37% dry matter). Irrespective of the diet and the ration size, urea-N excretion amounted to 15-16% of ammonia-N excretion. The higher the dietary DP/DE ratio, the greater was the amount of ammonia excreted. At high ration levels (1.5% and 2% of MBW/d), N excretion was 39-40% of digestible N intake for diets with a DP/DE ratio of 18 mg/kJ and 44% of digestible N intake for diets with a DP/DE ratio of 23 mg/kJ irrespective of the dietary protein level. At lower ration levels, N excretion as percent of N intake was higher than at higher feeding levels.

Another experiment was performed to compare the effect of dietary lipid and digestible carbohydrate on ammonia excretion in rainbow trout reared at two water temperatures (8°C and 18°C). Neither water temperature nor dietary sources of non-protein energy had any significant effect on N excretion expressed as proportion of digestible N intake.