Comparison of growth and survival of white shrimp postlarvae (Litopenaeus vannamei) fed dried Artemia biomass versus four commercial feeds and three crustacean meals
Key words: Commercial feeds, Crustacean meals, Dried Artemia biomass, Litopenaeus vannamei,
Postlarval shrimp
Abstract. The use of dried Artemia biomass meal as an exclusive feed for postlarval white shrimp
(Litopenaeus vannamei) was compared with four commercial feeds and three crustacean meals in a
series of trials. Postlarvae (PL1–PL6) were stocked at a density of 1.5–2.5/litres in 16 tanks
(100 litres volume) and fed, ad libidum, five times a day, over 23–29 days. Feeding postlarval
shrimp with dried Artemia biomass resulted in a significantly larger size than feeding with three of
the commercial feeds, and the crustacean meals. There was no significant size difference observed in
animals fed with Artemia biomass and the commercial ‘Golden Pearls’ feed for postlarvae, however
the coefficient of variation among the size of the ‘Golden Pearls’ fed animals was significantly
higher. The weight increase of animals fed with Artemia biomass was higher than in animals fed
with all the tested feeds. The survival rate was not significantly different in animals fed with
Artemia flakes from ‘Salt Creek’, ‘Bio-Marine’, ‘Golden Pearls’ and Artemia biomass, however the
survival rate was significantly larger in animals fed with Artemia biomass than in animals fed with
the crustacean meals and ‘Artemac.’ Results suggest that dried Artemia biomass is a well-suited
feed for postlarval L. vannamei.
Introduction