1. Introduction
The exogenous feeding of gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) larvae
during rearing in captivity generally begins at 3 days post hatching
(dph), when the yolk sac has depleted, the eyes have pigmented and
the mouth and anus have opened. With no additional nutrient storage,
newly hatched larvae become completely dependent on their ability
to capture and ingest their zooplankton prey.deformed and underdeveloped larvae that fail to consume sufficient amounts of prey and critical nutrients will not survive.