Rates of oxygen consumption and ammonia excretion of juvenile Eurasian perch Perca fluviatilis L.

The impact of feeding, fish size (body weight from 18.5 to 56.5 g) and water temperature (20 and 23 degreesC) on oxygen consumption (OC, mg O-2 kg(-1) h(-1)) and ammonia excretion (AE, mg TAN kg(-1) h(-1)) was studied in Eurasian perch held in recirculation systems. OC for both fed and feed-deprived (3 days) fish was higher at 23 degreesC (278.5 and 150.1 mg O-2 kg(-1) h(-1)) than at 20 degreesC (249.3 and 135.0 mg O-2 kg(-1) h(-1); P < 0.01). AEs for both fed and feed-deprived fish were also significantly higher at 23 °C than at 20 °C (P < 0.001). Water temperature and fish size had a significant impact on the oxygen: feed ratio (OFR, kg O-2 kg(-1) feed fed day(-1)) and ammonia: feed ratio (AFR, kg TAN kg(-1) feed fed day(-1); P < 0.001). Their average values at temperatures of 20 and 23 °C were 0.17 and 0.19 kg O-2 kg(-1) feed fed day(-1) and 0.009 and 0.011 kg TAN kg(-1) feed fed day(-1), respectively.