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Use of Copepods as Live Feed for Larviculture of Damselfishes

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Relation http://eprints.cmfri.org.in/5728/
https://www.asianfisheriessociety.org/
 
Title Use of Copepods as Live Feed for Larviculture of Damselfishes
 
Creator Gopakumar, G
Santhosi, I
 
Subject Crustacean Fisheries
Copepods
Live Feed Culture
 
Description It is well established that small-sized live feed with sufficient DHA, EPA and ARA as
starter feed is the key factor for the success in larviculture of marine fishes with altricial larvae
having limited yolk, which are in an undeveloped state at hatching. Copepods form a major
component of the natural diet of many fish larvae and the wide range of body sizes of copepods
both within and between species is extremely useful for employing the early stage nauplii and
copepodites as starter feed for very small larvae with small mouth opening. Improved survival,
growth and normal pigmentation have been documented in the larviculture of several marine
finfishes reared with the early stage nauplii and copepodites. This is generally attributed to the
levels of DHA, EPA and or arachidomic acid (ARA) in the diet and particularly to the DHA:
EPA ratio in the diet. Two species of copepods viz. Euterpina acutifrons, a harpacticoid copepod
and Pseudodiaptomus serricaudatus, a calanoid copepod were selected and cultured. They
were employed as starter feed for the larviculture of three species of damsel fishes viz. the three
spot damselfish, Dascyllus trimaculatus, the humbug damselfish, Dascyllus aruanus and the
blue damselfish, Pomacentrus caeruleus. It was found that co-culturing of copepods in greenwater
in the larviculture tank is the most effective method for initiating the exogenous feeding of the
species studied.
 
Publisher Asian Fisheries Society; Malaysia
 
Date 2009
 
Type Article
PeerReviewed
 
Format text
 
Language en
 
Identifier http://eprints.cmfri.org.in/5728/1/1.pdf
Gopakumar, G and Santhosi, I (2009) Use of Copepods as Live Feed for Larviculture of Damselfishes. Asian Fisheries Science, 22 (1). pp. 1-6.