Requirement of Tiger Puffer Takifugu rubripes for Dietary Iron

Two experiments were conducted to determine the dietary iron （Fe） requirement of tiger puffer at a water temperarure of 19-29.5 ℃. In experiment 1, the fish with average body weight of 2.5g were fed the purified diets with and without Fe supplement for 12 weeks. Growth, Ht value and Hb content were significantly low in fish fed the diet without Fe supplement. Reduced values of Fe contents of plasma and vertebrae were also observed in fish fed the Fe-unsupplemented diet. On the other hand, unsaturated iron binding capacity （UIBC） of plasma was higher in fish fed the Fe-unsupplemented diet. In experiment Ⅱ, the fish averaging 10.9g were fed the five diets with different levels of Fe（55, 92, 140, 197 and 263 mg/kg diet） for 13 weeks. No substantial effect on growth performance was observed in all the groups fed the diets with different Fe levels. However, hematological chacteristics and Fe contents of vertebrae and liver were significantly different between the fish fed the diet containing 55 mg Fe/kg and other groups. These results suggest that Fe deficiency developes hypochromemia in tiger puffer and the dietary Fe requirement is 90-140 mg/kg diet