Three practical isoproteic (54% protein) diets were formulated to contain graded levels of crude fat (diet L: 10%, diet M: 20% and diet H: 30%). Each diet was assigned unrestrictedly to three and restrictedly to two replicate groups of fish (IBW 243 g). In unrestricted groups, increasing the dietary lipid level led to a significant decrease in voluntary feed intake without affecting growth rate. In the feed-restricted groups, daily growth rates increased with increasing dietary fat levels. There was a significant and inverse effect of the dietary fat content on whole body moisture and fat levels, with highest lipid (ca. 20%) and lowest moisture (ca. 58%) contents in sea bass fed diet containing the highest lipid level; muscle lipid concentration was however not affected. Nitrogen retention was significantly increased by an increase in lipid concentration in the diets, with better efficiencies observed in unrestricted (ca. 31%) than in restricted groups (ca. 27%). Nitrogen loss was significantly affected by both the feeding level and the diet composition, with lowest values (ca. 60 g kg(-1)) in groups fed diet H unrestrictedly and highest values (ca. 90 g kg(-1)) in groups fed diet L at a restricted level. Soluble phosphorus excretion in H groups was less than half that in L groups, regardless of the feeding level.