Abstract: Seven months old Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis) juveniles were fed with Limnodrilus sp. or artificial feed to study the feed conversion efficiency and growth characteristics of the juveniles. After 60-day growth trials, the body length of the juveniles fed with Limnodrilus sp. and artificial feed increased from 177.0 mm and 191.6 mm to 216.6 mm and 332.5 mm, and the body mass increased from 32.73 g and 44.39 g to 58.27 g and 264.71 g, respectively. The juveniles fed with Limnodrilus sp. and artificial feed had a feed conversion ratio 6.67-39.33 and 0.89-1.26, specific growth rate 0.19-2.33 and 1.38-3.94, and growth efficiency 2.54-14.99 and 79.56-204.44, respectively. There was an exponential relationship between the body length and body mass of the juveniles fed with Limnodrilus sp. or artificial feed, the exponential value being less than 3, which suggested the allometric growth of body length and body mass. The muscle’s crude protein and moisture contents of the juveniles fed with Limnodrilus sp. were (62.79±1.34) % and (82.23±0.79) %, respectively, slightly higher than those of the juveniles fed with artificial diet. Based on the feed conversion efficiency and the growth indices, it was concluded that artificial feed was better than Limnodrilus sp. for the growth of juvenile Acipenser sinensis.

Key words: Microtus brandti, Male surgical sterilization, Amicable behavior, Agnostic behavior