Abstract
ABSTRACTFish hatcheries must adapt larval feeding protocols to feeding behavior and metabolism patterns to obtain more efficient feed utilization. Fish larvae exhibit daily ingesting rhythms rather than ingesting food continuously throughout the day. The aim of this study was to determine the daily patterns of feed intake, protein digestibility, protein retention and catabolism in Senegalese sole post-larvae (Solea senegalensis; 33 days post-hatching) using 14C-labeled Artemia protein and incubation in metabolic chambers. Sole post-larvae were fed at 09:00, 15:00, 21:00, 03:00 and 09:00+1 day; and those fed at 09:00, 21:00, 03:00 and 09:00+1 day showed significantly higher feed intake than post-larvae fed at 15:00 h (P=0.000). Digestibility and evacuation rate of ingested protein did not change during the whole cycle (P=0.114); however, post-larvae fed at 21:00 and 03:00 h showed the significantly highest protein retention efficiency and lowest catabolism (P=0.002). Therefore, results confirm the existence of daily rhythmicity in feeding activity and in the utilization of the ingested nutrients in Senegalese sole post-larvae.
Highlights
In order to obtain high quality fish, larvae need to be efficient in ingesting and processing food
Artemia intake Post-larvae ate over the whole 24-h cycle but feed intake levels were significantly different depending on the time of the day (P=0.000; Fig. 1)
Post-larvae fed at 09:00 h showed a significantly higher catabolism (25.31±3.45% of absorbed label) than those fed at 21:00 h and 03:00 h (14.36± 4.04 and 16.39±8.07%, respectively)
Summary
In order to obtain high quality fish, larvae need to be efficient in ingesting and processing food. Marine fish hatcheries need to adapt larval feeding protocols to incorporate feeding behavior and metabolism patterns in order to trim costs and increase their revenue. Feeding frequency and amount of food per meal are key parameters that influence digestion and nutrient absorption, and fish growth performance. Our knowledge of the effect of feeding regimes in fish larvae growth is still scarce and limited to a few species. Comparable growth rates were found in the Amazonian ornamental fish Pyrrhulina brevis fed two and four meals per day (Veras et al, 2016). The larvae of large yellow croacker (Pseudosciaena crocea) (Xie et al, 2011) fed frequently had improved growth and survival when compared to fish fed less frequently. Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis) pulse-fed during the pre-weaning period showed a better growth performance after weaning than sole fed
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