COMPARATIVE EFFECTS OF LIVE AND ARTIFICIAL DIETS ON GROWTH AND SURVIVAL OF JUVENILE ATLANTIC SILVERSIDE, Menidia menidia

Abstract

AbstractJuvenile Atlantic silversides (Menidia menidia) were fed a live diet of 3‐day‐old brine shrimp nauplii (Artemia salina). Growth and survival of those fish is compared with that of fish fed various artificial diets, those fed live food and an artificial diet on alternate days, and one group not fed.Survival on the live Artemia diet was 93% of the original 150 fish after 24 days. Artificial diets gave survival ranging from 43% to 79% during the same period. Fish fed live and artificial diets had 88% survival. The unfed group had 10% survival after 9 days and all died after 16 days of starvation.Growth was best on the live diet and only slightly less, but significantly different, on the combination diet. Growth was significantly less on all the artificial diets.No artificial diet yet tested, including the World Mariculture Society Nutrition Task Force invertebrate reference diet (preliminary), has provided survival and growth of Atlantic silversides equivalent to that of fish fed live brine shrimp nauplii. Relative success of the combination diet demonstrates partial nutritional requirements can be derived from an artificial (non‐living) food source and indicates progress toward adequate artificial diets for marine fishes.