Use of enriched rotifers and Artemia during larviculture of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua Linnaeus, 1758): effects on early growth, survival and lipid composition (original) (raw)

A feeding experiment was conducted to evaluate the e¡ect of rotifers (Brachionus plicatilis) and Artemia sp. enriched di¡erently on early growth, survival and lipid class composition of Atlantic cod larvae (Gadus morhua). Rotifers enrichments tested were: (1) Alga-Mac 2000 s , (2) AquaGrow s Advantage and (3) a combination of Pavlova sp. paste and AlgaMac 2000 s. The same treatments were tested with Artemia as well as a combination of DC DHA Selco s and AlgaMac 2000 s as a fourth treatment. After rotifer feeding, the larvae from treatment 3 [1.50 AE 0.11mg dry weight (dw)] were signi¢cantly heavier than larvae from treatment 2 (1.03 AE 0.04 mg dw). After feeding Artemia, the larvae from treatment 1 were signi¢cantly heavier (12.06 AE 2.54 mg dw) than those from treatments 3 (6.5 AE 0.73 mg dw) and 4 (5.31 AE 1.01mg dw). Treatment 3 resulted in the best survival through the 59 days of larviculture. After rotifer feeding, high larval concentrations of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), arachidonic acid (AA) and o 6 docosapentaenoic acid (o6DPA) could be linked to better larval growth and survival while after feeding Artemia, high larval DHA/EPA ratios ($ 3) and high DPA/ AA ratios (41) could be linked to better survival.