Consumption Rates of Summer Flounder Larvae on Rotifer and Brine Shrimp Prey during Larval Rearing

Abstract

Larval summer flounder Paralichthys dentatus were hatched and reared through metamorphosis in the laboratory. At several points in the rearing cycle, larvae were removed from their rearing chambers and placed in small bowls, where they were fed known quantities of the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis (flounder larvae age 6, 10, or 13 d posthatch) or nauplii of brine shrimp Artemia sp. (flounder larvae age 23, 28, 34, or 47 d posthatch). Counts of prey organisms remaining in the bowls after 24 h allowed us to calculate numbers of prey consumed. Consumption rates increased from 62 rotifers/24 h (6-d larvae) to 301 rotifers/24 h (13-d larvae) and from 59 brine shrimp/24 h (23-d larvae) to 394 brine shrimp/24 h (47-d larvae). These rates can be used to calculate the approximate rotifer and brine shrimp production necessary for rearing summer flounder through metamorphosis in aquaculture hatcheries.