The present experiment was conducted to quantify dietary copper (Cu) requirement for juvenile yellow catfish Pelteobagrus fulvidraco. The six experimental diets were formulated to contain the graded levels of CuSO₄·5H₂O (0, 0.005, 0.01, 0.02, 0.04 and 0.08 g kg⁻¹ diet respectively) providing the actual dietary copper values of 2.14 (control), 3.24, 4.57, 7.06, 12.22 and 22.25 mg Cu kg⁻¹ diet respectively. Each diet was fed to triplicate groups of yellow catfish (initial body weight: 3.13 ± 0.09 g, means ± SD) in an indoor static rearing system for 7 weeks. Fish fed the diet containing 3.24 mg Cu kg⁻¹ diet had the highest weight gain and specific growth rate, but they were not significantly different from that of fish fed the 4.57 and 7.06 mg Cu kg⁻¹ diets (P > 0.05). The poorest feed conversion rate, the lowest protein efficiency ratio, the lowest hepatosomatic index and viscerosomatic index were observed in fish fed the diet containing the highest Cu content diet (P < 0.05). Condition factor showed no significant differences among the treatments (P > 0.05). Proximate composition of fish body was significantly affected by dietary copper level (P < 0.05). Cu contents of whole body and liver increased with dietary Cu levels (P < 0.05), but muscle Cu content remained relatively stable (P > 0.05). Analysis by the second-order regression of SGR and linear regression of whole-body Cu retention of the fish indicated that dietary Cu requirements in juvenile yellow catfish were 3.13–4.24 mg Cu kg⁻¹ diet.

Increasing dietary replacement levels of fish meal by alternative plant proteins are of value for aquaculture. Here, a 10-week feeding experiment was undertaken to explore the effects of fish meal replacement by mixed plant protein (at a 2 : 3 ratio of cottonseed meal to rapeseed meal) on growth performance, oxidative and inflammatory responses, and mTOR pathway of yellow catfish Pelteobagrus fulvidraco. Yellow catfish ( , ) were randomly divided into 15 indoors fiberglass tanks, 30 fish each tank, and fed five isonitrogenous (44% crude protein) and isolipidic (9% crude fat) diets with fish meal replaced by mixed plant protein at 0% (the control), 10% (RM10), 20% (RM20), 30% (RM30), and 40% (RM40), respectively. Among five groups, fish fed the control, and RM10 diets tended to have higher growth performance, higher protein content, and lower lipid content in livers. Dietary mixed plant protein substitute increased hepatic free gossypol content and damaged liver histology and reduced the serum total essential amino acids, total nonessential amino acids, and total amino acid contents. Yellow catfish fed the control, and RM10 diets tended to have higher antioxidant capacity. Dietary mixed plant protein replacement tended to promote proinflammatory responses and inhibited mTOR pathway. Based on the second regression analysis of SGR against mixed plant protein substitutes, the optimal replacement level of fish meal by mixed plant protein was 8.7%.