3.2. Growth and consumption
Survival, growth performance and feed utilization of juvenile H. tuberculata coccinea fed the macroalgae H. musciformis, H. spinella and G. cornea are shown in Table 2. Survival rates were very good and no significant differences were found among the different feeding regimes. Daily feed intake on different algal rations recorded for 8 weeks showed that all three macroalgae were very well accepted by the abalone, but a significantly higher feed intake of H. spinella, followed by H. musciformis, was registered. Hence, final shell length and weight were significantly highest in animals fed H. spinella and lowest in those fed with G. cornea. Accordingly, shell growth rate, specific growth rate and weight gain followed the same pattern, all these parameters being significantly highest in animals fed H. spinella and lowest in those fed G. cornea. Study of the feed efficacy of feed utilization showed that feed conversion ratios were significantly higher for H. musciformis, whereas protein efficiency ratios were higher for both H. spinella and G. cornea.