Weaning of bullseye puffer (Sphoeroides
annulatus) from live food to microparticulate diets made with
decapsulated cysts of Artemia and fishmeal
A.
García-Ortega,
I. Abdo, C. Hernández-2003
Aquaculture
International, 11
(1-2): 183-194
Abstract:
Two experiments were carried out to test
microparticulate diets for weaning hatchery-produced larvae and juveniles of
bullseye puffer Sphoeroides annulatus. The diets were formulated
with different protein sources: diet 1 with a combination of decapsulated
cysts of Artemia and fishmeal, and diet 2 with a combination of
fishmeal, squid, tuna gonad and shrimp meal. In the first experiment
60-days-old fish were weaned with the microdiets over five days. Fish
survival after 11 weeks of feeding was 92% for diet 1, 85% for diet 2, and
95% for the control fish fed Artemia nauplii. Once it was
determined that bullseye puffer can be adequately reared with artificial dry
diets, diet 1 was used to test earlier times for weaning to reduce the
period of Artemia feeding. In the second experiment, three
different times were tested for initiation of weaning in sibling fish
larvae, i.e., at 29, 34, and 39 days post-hatch. Small differences in
weight, length and survival were found among weaning treatments after 23
days of feeding. When weaned at day 29 post-hatch, fish larvae grew from an
initial weight of 38.4 mg and length of 11.1 mm to a final weight and length
of 405.7 mg and 25.1 mm respectively. Final survival in this treatment was
49.3%. The reduced period of Artemia feeding would provide an
economical alternative for the species to take into consideration for its
culture at commercial scale.
(Laboratory of
Nutrition and Larviculture, Centro de Investigación
en Alimentación
y Desarrollo (CIAD), Unidad Mazatlán,
Apdo. Postal 711, C.P. 82010, Mazatlán,
Sinaloa, México,
e-mail: agarcia@victoria.ciad.mx)