EFFECT OF LIVE FEED ENRICHMENT ON LARVAL PERFORMANCE OF HARLEQUIN SHRIMP (Hymenocera picta Dana, 1852)

Abstract

Nutritional supplements play an important role in larval rearing of marine fish and shrimp. In this study, harlequin shrimp larvae were fed Artemia enriched with four regimes including N. oculata, mixed algae (T. chuii and I. galbana), DPS and unenriched treatment as control, in order to determine an appropriate feeding stratergy. Newly hatched larvae, 20 individuals/L, were reared in 10 - liter recirculating tanks. Results show that enriched diets had significant effects on larval growth, development, and survival. The larvae fed Artemia enriched with the mixed algae (T. chuii + I. galbana) and DPS obtained higher final total length (5.83 mm and 5.72 mm) compared to those of N. oculata and control treatments (5.58 mm and 5.07 mm; P < 0.05). The similar trends were also observed at the larval transferred rate. Larval suvival rate at the treatment of the mixed algae was also higher than those of the N. oculata and control treatments (14.5% compared with 9.2% and 3.7%; P < 0.05) but not different from that of the DPS treatment (11.6%; P > 0.05). From this study, it can be seen that harlequin shrimp larvae should be fed Artemia enriched with the mixed algae or DPS in order to improve larval performance.