Performance of Larval and Postlarval Pacific White Shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei (Boone), Fed Two Commercial Liquid Diet Supplements

摘要

Two commercial liquid diet supplements were evaluated as a partial replacement lor 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 fourdiets (5 replicate buckets per diet); (1) a control diet consisting of the diatom, Chaetoceros neogracile, and live Anemia; (2) the control diet plus Trcflan (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 roslro-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 a pH 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 he used in penaeid shrimp hatcheries to partially replace Artemia without compromising shrimp growth or survival.