Tannin, an antinutritional component of plant proteins was fed to grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus, 8. 18 ± 0.81 g) for 8 weeks to investigate their tolerance levels. Semi-purified diets (T0, T1, T2, and T3) with varying levels of hydrolysable tannin (0, 0.75, 1.25, and 1.75% respectively) were used. No significant difference was obtained in weight gain, while feed conversion ratio of T0 was significantly lower than T2. Muscle protein content of T0 and T3 were significantly higher than T2, while lipid content of T0 was significantly higher than other groups. Muscle and hepatic glycogen in T0 were significantly lower than other groups. Muscle saturated fatty acids in T3 were significantly higher than T0, and lowest in T1 and T2, while the poly-unsaturated fatty acids in T1 and T2 were higher than T0 and lowest in T3. Significant increases were obtained in trypsin and amylase activities as tannin levels increased, the lipase activity of T0 and T1 was significantly higher than T2 and T3. Activities of hepatic alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase decreased with increasing tannin level. The total protein in serum of T2 was significantly higher than T0 and T1 and lowest in T3, whereas globulin of T2 was significantly higher than T0 and T3 and lowest in T1, while albumin of T1 was significantly higher than other groups. Urea nitrogen of T0 was significantly higher than other groups, triglyceride and total cholesterol significantly increased with tannin level and decreased in T3, significant decreases were obtained in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in T3. mRNA expression of intestinal TOR was significantly upregulated as dietary tannin increased. In hepatopancreas, the expression of glucokinase in T1 was significantly higher than T2, and lowest in T0 and T3, pyruvate kinase in T2 was significantly higher than T0 and T1 and lowest T3. The expression of lipoprotein lipase upregulated as tannin level and downregulated in T3, and fatty acid synthase downregulated as tannin level. In conclusion, grass carp could tolerate 1.75% dietary tannin without influencing growth. However, 1.25% tannin impaired digestion and metabolism of protein, decreased the deposition of lipid and promoted utilization of carbohydrate.

Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus; n = 320) were received four different diets for 56 days. The experimental diets were: fishmeal (FM) containing 10% fishmeal (without rapeseed meal), and rapeseed meal (RM) containing 50% rapeseed meal (without fishmeal), and two semi-purified diets either without (T0) or with 1.25% (T1) supplemental hydrolysable tannin. The approximate content of tannin in the RM diet was 1.31%, which was close to that of T1, while the tannin content of FM was close to that of T0. The weight gain rate of grass carp of the RM group was significantly lower than that of the FM group, while the feeding conversion ratio and the feeding rate were significantly higher in the T1 group than in T0. The muscle lipid content was significantly lower in RM than in FM, while T1 was lower than T0. Intestinal activities of trypsin and α-amylase were significantly higher in T1 and RM groups compared with the other treatments. The hepatic activities of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase were lower in T1 and RM groups compared with the other treatments, while hepatic glycogen, and malonaldehyde were significantly higher in T1 and RM groups. In serum, the total protein and globulin contents were significantly higher in T1 and RM groups, while albumin was significantly lower in the RM group compared to the FM group. High-throughput sequencing showed that Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria were the dominant bacterial phyla among groups. The intestinal microbial diversity was higher in T1 and RM. Redundancy analysis showed that tannin, rapeseed meal, and intestinal trypsin activity were positively or negatively correlated with the relative abundance of several different intestinal microbiota at phylum and/or genus levels. The results indicated that 1.25% tannin could not be the main reason for the poor growth of grass carp of the RM group; however, the protein metabolism was disturbed, the absorption of carbohydrate was improved, and the accumulation of lipid had decreased. Furthermore, tannin and rapeseed meal supplementations modulated the intestinal microbiota, and may sequentially regulate the intestinal function by fermenting dietary nutrition, producing digestive enzymes, and modulating probiotics.

The feeding trials were carried out with freshwater crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) to evaluate the three feed stimulants betaine (Bet), squid extract (SE) and squid meal (SM) upon fish meal (FM) diets or biofeed (BF) diets in which FM were partially replaced by BF. Results showed the three feed stimulants had no significant effect on growth. By the relative concentration of markers in the faeces and diets, the preference for each diet was estimated, and the best stimulant was the mixture of Bet, SE and SM. As FM replaced by BF increased, added with the mixture, the relative weight gain showed an increasing trend, but decreased significantly by 30% replacement. With the substitution increasing, trypsin activities increased, whereas decreased too upon 30% substitution. Less than 30% replacement, there was no significant effect on muscle proximate composition, intestine amylase activities and serum haemocyanin contents, except the drop of lipid. The results indicated that the mixture of Bet, SE and SM could perform well as a feed stimulant. And with the addition of the mixture, FM in the diet could make about no more than 20% saving without any adverse effects.

This study was carried out to determine the effects of abrupt salinity change on osmoregulatory ability of the spottedtail goby Synechogobius ommaturus. 720 juvenile fish (65.3 ± 11.8 g) were transferred to 200 L tanks (with 40 juveniles in each tank), in which salinities were abruptly changed from 10 to 20, 30, 40, 50 and freshwater. Survival rate, serum osmolality, electrolytes (Na⁺, Cl⁻, and K⁺) and gill Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase (NKA) activity were assessed successively in 528 h. Results showed serum osmolality, ion concentrations and gill Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase activity increased significantly when fish were transferred to salinity 40 and 50 and all fish in these groups died by the end of the experiment. Serum osmolality, Na⁺, Cl⁻ and K⁺ in fish transferred to a salinity of 20, 30 and freshwater were not affected and no mortality was detected. Compared with the control group, a significantly decrease of NKA activity happened in the freshwater group, but the activity in 20 and 30 groups was not affected significantly. The results indicated that S. ommaturus could adapt rapidly and maintain homeostasis in a wide range of salinities (from freshwater to salinity 30) and this species may be suitable for aquaculture in estuarine and coastal areas where rapid salinity fluctuations commonly occur.