EFFECTS OF DIETS ON THE FATTY ACID COMPOSITION OF JUVENILE ATLANTIC SILVERSIDES (Menidia menidia)

Abstract

AbstractJuvenile Atlantic silversides (Menidia menidia) were cultured for 24 days on a live 3‐day‐old brine shrimp nauplii (Artemia salina) diet as well as the following artificial diets: a Conklin modified lobster diet, a Tunison laboratory modified diet (pellet and flake forms), and a Meyers closed formula flake prawn diet. A combination diet of brine shrimp nauplii and the Meyers prawn diet was also evaluated. The total lipid level and fatty acid profile of the diets and cultured fish were compared to those of the wild fish. Growth and survival were used as indicators of the overall performance of the various diets.The greatest growth and survival was found in fish fed live brine shrimp. However, their fatty acid profile resembled their diet profile more than that of the wild fish. The combination diet produced nearly equal growth and survival compared to brine shrimp fed fish and gave a fatty acid profile more like the wild fish. Therefore, the combination diet sacrificed little overall performance but promoted a better lipid character. Although the Conklin modified lobster diet produced an acceptable survival (7851, no artificial diet promoted growth or survival which was equal to brine shrimp or the combined diet fed fish.The use of the brine shrimp‐artificial diet combination reduced, by 50%, the number of brine shrimp cysts required for the successful culture of silversides.