The rearing of green turtles (Chelonia mydas Linnaeus, 1758) before their release to natural habitats has been practiced in several countries, whereas little information is available for inferring optimal husbandry protocols. This study aimed to improve the growth performance and feed utilization of posthatching green turtles by varying the water depth (15 or 30 cm) and feed pellet type (sinking or floating pellets). The 20-day-old turtles (23.49 ± 0.02 g initial body weight) were subjected to a 2 Â 2 factorial experiment (3 replications with 5 animals per tank) over a two-month duration. Growth, feed utilization, fecal digestive enzymes and hematological parameters were recorded to evaluate the effects of different treatments. No mortality was observed in any treatment group. Turtles reared in 15 cm water depth and fed with floating pellets exhibited superior growth (specific growth rate 2.76% body weight day À1 ) and feed utilization (feeding rate 1.42% body weight day À1 , feed conversion ratio 0.61 g feed g gain À1 , protein efficiency ratio 3.76 g gain g protein À1 ), relative to the other treatments. This treatment improved the utilization of nutrients by modulating trypsin specific activity but had no negative effects on hematological characteristics. Overall these findings indicate that the rearing program of post-hatching green turtles should be run with about 15 cm water depth and the preferred type of feed is floating pellets. These preferred conditions can also be applied in public displays, such as zoos or aquaria.
Bigfin reef squid (Sepioteuthis lessoniana) has been successively cultured through multiple generations, but little is known about the factors affecting feeding regimens. In the current study, optimal feeding frequency of five‐week‐old bigfin reef squids was investigated in laboratory conditions. The squids (1.48 ± 0.03 g initial weight) were assigned to four feeding frequencies: two (2TD), three (3TD), four (4TD) or five (5TD) times daily, and they were fed with post‐larval stage of Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) over the three weeks of experiment. At the end of the feeding trial, the squids receiving 4TD and 5TD had the highest growth and feed utilization, and the least size variation among the treatment groups. Significant decrease in chymotrypsin‐specific activity was observed in squids receiving 5TD relative to 2TD (p < 0.05), while a moderate level was observed across the remaining treatments. This matched the available and unavailable nutrients present in faeces, assessed from thermal responses. Mantle quality, in terms of RNA concentration, was the highest in squids fed 4TD or 5TD, while protein concentration and RNA/protein ratio did not differ across the four feeding frequencies tested. Also, the most crude lipid was observed in squids fed 5TD, followed by 4TD that were superior to 2TD or 3TD treatments, while crude protein and ash did not differ. These findings indicate that feeding four or five times daily is most appropriate. This practical feeding protocol can be used for mariculture of this species.
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