Under hypoxia, fish can utilize several physiological mechanisms
to compensate a reduction in oxygen uptake. For instance,
carp (Cyprinus carpio) can increase breathing frequency
(Lomholt and Johansen, 1979; Glass et al., 1990) and trout
(Oncorhynchus mykiss) can increase hemoglobin concentration
(Soivio et al., 1980). No studies have been done to investigate
effect of low DO concentration on hematological parameters of
Nile tilapia. Our main objectives were (1) to determine whether
maximum feed intake and growth of fish of the same size at
low DO concentration are significantly lower than at high DO
concentration; (2) to establish a quantitative dataset documenting
the effect of DO and body weight on the maximum feed
intake of Nile tilapia; and (3) to determine whether Nile tilapia
make hematological adjustments at low DO concentrations