The performanceof pure and hybrid "pintado" Pseudoplatystoma hatchlings at feed trainingwas evaluated. The intestinal coefficient (IC = length of the intestine/totalfish lenght) was related to volume and mass and compared by means of analysisof multivariate variance and main components. According to the fish farmingstation routine, the training lasts about 60 days, when animals are conditionedto feeding on floating dried feed during daylight. Approximately one hundredanimals per group were collected in the initial, intermediate and final phases.At the beginning, fish were fed ground bovine heart, and then dried feed wasgradually added until eventual acceptance of dried floating feed. Length andvolume growth depended on the speed of intestinal growth. The intestine andthe time of adaptation of the intestines are longer in hybrid animals, whichis linked to the better development of these animals.
