initial mean body weight were obtained from a local farm (Culmarex S.A., Aguilas, Murcia) and were reared at the facilities of the University of Murcia located at the Naval Base of Algameca (E.N.A., Cartagena, Spain). Fish were kept in 500l tanks supplied with aeration and filtered seawater from an open system. The photoperiod was set at 12:12 h light:dark (LD) with lights on at 8:00 h and water temperature at 18 °C.