Performance of larval and postlarval Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei (Boone), fed two commercial liquid diet supplements

• Published in: Journal of applied aquaculture Vol. 15; no. 3-4; pp. 21 - 35
• Main Authors: Calderon, F.R.O, Imai, D.M, Arce, S.M, Argue, B.J, Moss, S.M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 29.06.2004
• Subjects: abiotic stress; animal growth; Artemia; Artemia replacement; Chaetoceros; Chaetoceros neogracile; dietary supplements; feeding level; fouling; gut fullness; larvae; Larval feeds; lipid content; liquid diet; Litopenaeus vannamei; live foods replacement; mortality; nutritive value; osmotic pressure; Pacific white shrimp; salt stress; shrimp; shrimp culture; shrimp hatcheries; stocking rate
• ISSN: 1045-4438; 1545-0805
• DOI: 10.1300/J028v15n03_02

Two commercial liquid diet supplements were evaluated as a partial replacement for live foods fed to larval and postlarval Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei. Larvae were stocked in 20-L buckets at a density of 113 shrimp/L and fed one of four diets (5 replicate buckets per diet): (1) a control diet consisting of the diatom, Chaetoceros neogracile, and live Artemia; (2) the control diet plus Treflan (a fungicide); (3) LiquaLife liquid larval diet supplements with reduced concentrations of C. neogracile and Artemia; and (4) Epifeed liquid larval diet supplements with reduced concentrations of Artemia. Diets were evaluated by comparing shrimp rostro-caudal length and survival to PL-8, survival to osmotic and pH stress, as well as shrimp gut fullness, gut lipid content, and fouling. Rostro-caudal length and survival to PL-8 were not significantly different among the four treatments. However, mean survival to PL-8 was 12-34% greater in the Epifeed treatment than in the other three treatments. Shrimp fed Epifeed exhibited greater survival (P < 0.05) when exposed to 7 ppt water for two hours than shrimp in the control treatments. In contrast, there was no significant difference in survival (P > 0.05) among the four treatments when shrimp were exposed to apH of 3.35 for two hours. Although shrimp fed liquid diet supplements had more fouling (P < 0.05) than shrimp in either of the control treatments, commercial liquid diet supplements can be used in penaeid shrimp hatcheries to partially replace Artemia without compromising shrimp growth or survival.