P.M. Domingues, P.E. Turk, J.P. Andrade, P.G. Lee-1999
Aquaculture Research, 30 : 135-143
Abstract :
The effects of animal density and water temperature on the culture of the mysid, Mysidopsis almyra (Bowman), in a static water system were evaluated. An initial set of experiments tested the effects of mysid density on production. Densities of 25, 37.5, 50, 100 and 200 mysids/L were placed in trays with 20L of sea water. Temperatures were maintained at 26+/-2 C. A second set of experiments was conducted in the same system at three different temperatures (18+/-1, 22+/-1 and 26+/-2 C) using a mysid density of 50 mysids/L (1000 mysids/tray). All experiments had a duration of 30 days. The mysids in all trials were cultured at 20+/-2 ppt salinity and fed Artemia nauplii enriched with marine fatty acids. There was a positive correlation between production and mysid densities up to populations of 100 mysids/L ; maximum production was 273+/-99 hatchlings/day. At a population density of 200 mysids/L, high mortality and low production were recorded 4 days after the start of the experiment. The experiments testing different temperatures showed the mysid production was higher at 22+/-1 C, although this result was not significant (P<0.05). Growth rates and hatchling survival after 7 days were significantly higher (P<0.05) at 26+/-2 C compared to survival and growth at 18 or 22 C.
(National Resource Center for Cephalopods, University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Boulevard Galveston, TX 77555-1163, USA, e-mail : pglee@utmb.edu)