THE EFFECTS OF DELAYED FEEDING, STOCKING DENSITY, AND FOOD DENSITY ON SURVIVAL, GROWTH, AND PRODUCTION OF LARVAL RED DRUM ( Sciaenops ocellata)

• Published in: Proceedings of the annual meeting - World Mariculture Society
• Main Authors: Roberts, D. E., Morey, L. A., Henderson, G. E., Halscott, K. R.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 1978
• Subjects: Red drum
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-7345.1978.tb00255.x; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1749-7345.1978.tb00255.x; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1749-7345.1978.tb00255.x

Abstract The starvation time, optimal initial feeding time, stocking density, and food density were defined for larval red drum ( Sciaenops ocellata ) in 20‐ and 40‐liter tanks. When larvae were not offered food by the fourth day after eye pigmentation (fifth day from hatching), they experienced 100% mortality. The optimal initial feeding time for best survival (14%) was the second day after eye pigmentation. Growth and survival were affected by initial embryo stocking density and food density maintained in the tank. Stocking densities of 2, 10, and 20 embryos/liter and food densities of one, 5 and 10 rotifers/ml were tested in 40‐liter tanks. Survival and total biomass were higher when embryos were stocked at 10 embryos/liter and significantly higher when fed at 5 rotifers/ml. Growth was best when embryos were stocked at 2 embryos/ liter.