Evaluation of Several Commercial Feeds and Crustacean Reference Diet for Juvenile Australian Red Claw Crayfish, Cherax quadricarinatus

Abstract

In preliminary experiments, juvenile (20 mg) Australian red claw crayfish, Cherux quadricarinatus, were fed ten commercially available diets to determine the best diets for use in recirculating systems. Of these diets, three were selected for additional trials. A second series of test diets consisted of a shrimp diet supplemented with Artemia nauplii for either one, two, or three weeks. A fourth diet combined a commercial shrimp diet and a catfish diet. Performance of each diet was compared to that of a proposed standard crustacean reference diet. After 28 days, mean final weight gains for the Artemia nauplii, shrimp diet plus two-week Artemia nauplii, and shrimp diet plus fish diet treatments (20 mg, 17 mg, 19 mg, respectively) were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than the reference diet (10 mg). The lowest survival (40%) was recorded for the shrimp diet plus fish diet treatment, while highest survival (80%) occurred using the one-week feeding of Artemia nauplii plus shrimp diet treatment. Survival in all remaining treatments ranged from 67%-73%.