Cultured copepods as food
for West Australian dhufish (Glaucosoma hebraicum) and pink snapper (Pagrus
auratus) larvae
M.F. Payne, R.J. Rippingale, J.J. Cleary-2001
Aquaculture, 194 (1-2): 137-150
Abstract
Copepods have often improved larviculture of marine
fish species that are not easily reared using rotifers. One such species is Glaucosoma
hebraicum. G. hebraicum larvae were reared on a combined diet
consisting of equal numbers of cultured copepod nauplii and rotifers and a
diet of rotifers only. Growth was significantly greater in larvae fed with
the combined diet. Survival was 37% in the copepod/rotifer-fed larvae
compared to 5% in the rotifer-fed larvae. Two separate methods of presenting
copepod nauplii to Pagrus auratus larvae were also examined. Firstly,
copepods nauplii were provided as the sole diet during the first feeding
phase followed by rotifers. Secondly, rotifers were supplemented with
copepod nauplii for an extended period. P. auratus larvae grew faster
than rotifer fed controls in both trials. Larvae fed with the supplemented
diet for an extended period grew fastest. There was no significant
difference in survival and swim bladder inflation in P. auratus
larvae, although those treatments with copepods in their diet were
consistently higher. Improved larval growth and survival in both fish
species were attributed to preferential selection of copepod nauplii and
their high nutritional content.
(School of Environmental Biology, Curtin University of Technology, GPO Box, U1987, Perth, 6845 Western Australia, Australia)