Abstract
Colour production in fish is due mostly to food. In conditions of captivity, the type of food is restricted, while various types of food are used in aquaculture, from processed dry food to small aquatic animals. In this study, we used nauplii of Artemia franciscana, “water fleas” Moina wierzejski, micro-worm Panagrellus redivivus, and commercial flakes. We used Poecilia reticulata, which is one of the most traded fish in ornamental aquaculture and hypothesise that if the live food influences the coloration and growth of P. reticulata, there must be differences in the intensity of colour pattern and growth rate in fish fed with different living animals. Consistent with our prediction, females and males of P. reticulata were more colourful when they were fed on A. franciscana, P. redivivus and M. wierzejski than when they were fed commercial flakes. Females and males of P. reticulata fed with A. franciscana grew in less time than fish fed with P. redivivus, M. wierzejski, or commercial flakes. We conclude that live food is an excellent way to affect growth and coloration in fish.
Highlights
Food is critical for all features of individuals
Females and males of P. reticulata fed with A. franciscana grew in less time than fish fed with P. redivivus, M. wierzejski, or commercial flakes
Females and males of P. reticulata were more colourful when they fed with A. franciscana, P. redivivus and M. wierzejski than when they fed with commercial flakes (F (3,116) = 19.40, P < 0.001; F(3,100) = 21.78, P < 0.001; Figure 1(A) and Figure 1(B) respectively)
Summary
Colour production in fish is due mostly to food. In fish, feeding depends on several factors, such as the type of mouth, which is determined by the site of the water column in which the animal lives [7] [8]; age, which defines the size and type of food that the fish can ingest [9]; food availability, which is determined by the seasons in which the environment has a higher quantity and quality nutrients in the water [10]; and the number of individuals that compete for food resources in a specific area [11]. Fish obtain coloration from carotenoids found in different foods [12]. Other cultured animals for feeding are commonly known as “water fleas”, Moina wierzejski and Daphnia pulex [16], and the micro-worm Panagrellus redivivus [17]
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