A 43-day feeding trial was conducted to assess the compensatory growth response to different cyclic starvation and refeeding regimes in Nile tilapia(Oreochromis niloticus)fed the diet containing 33% crude protein and 8% lipid.Seven feeding regimes were designed as follows:the control group of fish fed daily(S0,control),and other six groups that were subjected to 1 or 2 days of starvation followed by 3,5 or 7 days of feeding to satiation,i.e.S1F3(starved 1 d,then fed 3 d),S1F5(starved 1 d,then fed 5 d),S1F7(starved 1 d,then fed 7 d),S2F3(starved 2 d,then fed 3 d),S2F5(starved 2 d,then fed 5 d)and S2F7(starved 2 d,then fed 7 d).Four hundred and twenty fish averaging 13.50 g were randomly distributed into twenty one 150-L-tanks(twenty fish per tank)and reared in circular flow-through fresh water.Each of the groups was alloted the diet three times a day for their respective refeeding days.The weight gain rate(806.74%)in group S0 was 40.3%,33.6% and 10.4% higher than those in groups S2F3,S2F5 and S2F7(P<0.05),but was not different from those in groups S1F3,S1F5 and S1F7(P>0.05).The lowest specific growth rate(5.36%)was found in group S0,and was significantly lower than those in other groups(P<0.05).Feed efficiency,protein efficiency ratio,hepatosomatic index,viscerasomatic index,and condition factor as well as whole-body ash content and muscle RNA/DNA ratio did not differ across treatments(P>0.05),but the daily feed intake in groups subjected to any of the cyclic feeding regimes was significantly higher than that in group S0(P<0.05).The groups S2F3,S2F5 and S2F7 exhibited lower whole-body lipid and protein contents than group S0(P<0.05).However,groups S1F3,S1F5 and S1F7 did not show any difference in whole-body composition compared to group S0(P>0.05).In terms of blood biochemical components,total cholesterol,high density lipoprotein cholesterol,low density lipoprotein cholesterol and urea nitrogen contents did not differ across the treatments(P>0.05).The value for triglycerides in group S0 was found the highest,and was higher than those in groups S2F3,S2F5 and S2F7(P<0.05).However,the value for glutamic-pyruvic transaminase was the lowest among treatments,and was lower than those in groups S2F3,S2F5 and S2F7(P<0.05).The serum activity of glutamic-oxalacetic transaminase in the control was similar to those in groups S1F3,S1F5 and S1F7,but lower than those in groups S2F3,S2F5 and S2F7(P<0.05).The results indicated that completely compensatory growth was observed in the tilapia subjected to 1 day of starvation followed by 3,5 or 7 days of feeding to satiation,but partial compensation was found in the fish subjected to 2 days of starvation followed by 3,5 or 7 days of feeding.Hyperphagia was triggered by the cyclic feeding regime,thus feed intake increased,resulting in growth compensation.Based upon the effect of compensation and actual days of feed intake,the cyclic feeding regime of S1F3 could be recommended for the tilapia rearing under the present experimental conditions.