The effect of feeding two prey organisms nauplii of artemia and rotifers brachionus plicatilis muller upon survival and growth of larval marine shrimp penaeus semisulcatus de haan
Samocha, T.M.; Uziel, N.; Browdy, C.L.
Aquaculture 77(1): 11-20
1989
ISSN/ISBN: 0044-8486 DOI: 10.1016/0044-8486(89)90017-3
Accession: 007888206
The survival and growth of Penaeus semisulcatus postlarvae fed Artemia nauplii or rotifers, Brachionus plicatilis, were studied in a small-scale bioassay system. Shrimp larvae at the nauplius 6 substage were cultured in 1-l cones at a density of 100/l, with daily medium exchange. In the first set of experiments shrimp from the zoea 2 (Z2) versus zoea 3 (Z3) substages were fed rotifers at increasing densities. Dry weight of postlarvae fed 20 or 30 rotifers per ml was higher than that of larvae fed 10 or 40 rotifers per ml (P < 0.05). No differences were found when postlarvae were fed from the Z2 versus the Z3 substage. In the second series of experiments Artemia were given at increasing densities to shrimp from the Z2, Z3, or mysis 1 (M1) substages. Dry weight increased as prey concentration rose to 9 per ml and decreased when feeding was postponed to Z3 or M1 (P < 0.05). The third experiment compared regimes in which larvae were fed Artemia or rotifers alone, or rotifers from Z2 followed by Artemia from Z3, M1 or M2. Postponing or eliminating Artemia addition resulted in decreased postlarval dry weight (P < 0.05). High survival can be achieved with rotifers, but energy intake is apparently reduced as dry weight is lower. Thus Artemia nauplii alone may be a superior food for mass culture penaeid larvae.