Weaning Success of Southern Flounder Juveniles: Effect of Changeover Period and Diet Type on Growth and Survival

Abstract

Abstract Two studies were conducted to determine the effects of changeover period duration and diet type (dry versus semimoist) on growth and survival of postmetamorphic southern flounder Paralichthys lethostigma during weaning from live feed onto formulated feeds. In the first study, feeding with live brine shrimp Artemia sp. was abruptly stopped after changeover periods of 5, 10, 15, and 20 d. A changeover period of 20 d resulted in significantly higher (P 0.05) from the other treatments or the control (live brine shrimp). In the second study, feeding with live brine shrimp was gradually reduced from 100% to 0% over a 12-d changeover period. Brine shrimp were replaced with either a dry feed or a semimoist feed. Survival of fish fed either the dry feed (71.1 ± 30.1%) or the semimoist feed (71.1 ± 15.4%) was not si...