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Alternatives to Freeze‐Dried Krill in the Feed Training Phase of Largemouth Bass
Author(s) -
Skudlarek Nicholas A.,
Cochran Nathan J.,
Larimore Mike,
Marple Steve,
Coyle Shawn,
Tidwell James H.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
north american journal of aquaculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.432
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1548-8454
pISSN - 1522-2055
DOI - 10.1577/a06-048.1
Subject(s) - menhaden , micropterus , fishery , bass (fish) , biology , zoology , pellets , pellet , trout , fish oil , stocking , feed conversion ratio , body weight , fish <actinopterygii> , ecology , paleontology , endocrinology
Fry of largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides are typically pond reared on natural foods until they reach approximately 4–6 cm. Fish that are to be raised on pellets are typically feed trained in tanks using freeze‐dried krill (FDK), which is gradually replaced with prepared diet. The cost of FDK (retail >US$40 per kg) can be a significant expense in the feed training phase. An experiment was conducted to determine whether FDK could be eliminated by simple diet amendment. The largemouth bass fingerlings (mean weight ± SD = 2.2 ± 0.3 g) were stocked in 190‐L tanks at 150 fish/tank. Four treatments with four replicates each were compared: (1) fingerlings were initially fed FDK and then were gradually weaned to a commercial pellet (1.5‐mm floating trout feed; control [CTL], current practice); (2) fish were offered only the dry commercial pellet throughout (DRY); (3) commercial pellets were moistened with water before use (MST); and (4) commercial pellets were top‐dressed with menhaden fish oil at 10% of diet by weight initially and at a gradually reduced percentage over time (OIL). After 18 d, there was no significant difference ( P > 0.05) in the average weights of fish. However, in terms of percentage of fish that were successfully habituated to the final dry pellets, the DRY treatment resulted in a significantly lower ( P < 0.05) success rate (82%) than other treatments. Training success was not significantly different ( P > 0.05) among the CTL (98%), MST (93%), and OIL (92%) treatments. The best diet for feed training of largemouth bass will vary depending on the cost and availability of FDK and the economic importance of production maximization.