Five iso-nitrogenous (45.64%±0.20% crude protein) and iso-energetic diets (16.82±0.11 MJ/kg gross energy) with graded levels of lipid at 3%(A),6%(B),9%(C),12%(D),15%(E) were formulated to feed the fish to evaluate the effect of dietary lipid levels on growth,body composition and blood biochemical indices of juvenile yellowcheek carp (Elopichthys bambusa).Three hundred fingerlings (average weight 8.26±0.81 g) were randomly distributed in five treatments in triplicate groups with 20 fish per replicate and fed with test diets twice daily for 56 d.With the increase of dietary lipid levels,weight gain rate (WGR) and specific growth rate (SGR) increased firstly,then decreased,and were significantly higher in treatment B than that in treatments A and E (P<0.05).Protein efficiency ratio (PER),with the highest level in treatment B,increased with increasing levels of dietary lipid up to 6% and showed a declining tendency thereafter.Feed conversion ratio (FCR) showed an opposite trend with PER and was remarkably lower in treatment B than that in treatments A,D and E (P<0.05).Hepatosomatic index (HSI),whole body lipid content and liver lipid content were significantly impacted (P<0.05) by dietary lipid levels,while mesenteric fat index (MFI),condition factor (CF),whole body moisture and ash contents showed no significant differences (P>0.05).HSI in treatment A was significantly lower than that in treatments C,D and E (P<0.05).The trend of whole body protein content in the experiment was similar to SGR.The levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT),aspartate aminotransferase (AST),alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and total bile acid (TBA) in serum increased with the increase of dietary lipid levels,while total protein (TP),total cholesterol (CHO),triacylglyceride (TG),high density lipoprotein cholesterin (HDL-C) and low density lipoprotein cholesterin (LDL-C) decreased with the increase of dietary lipid contents.Analysis of SGR by quadratic model regression suggested that the dietary lipid requirement for optimal growth in juvenile Elopichthys bambusa is 7.71% (wet weight).Diet with 15% lipid could cause hepatocyte injury and abnormal fat metabolism in Elopichthys bambusa,which led to a low growth rate eventually.