Co-feeding period on the survival and growth of larvae (Botia lohachata) during the feeding transition

Abstract

This study evaluated the effect of the co-feeding (C) period on the growth and survival of larvae of the yo-yo loach Botia lohachata ornamental species during the weaning period from live food (LF) to inert food (IF). The breeders were subjected to induced spawning using crude pituitary homogenate. A total of 2,400 larvae were used with an average initial weight of 0.39 ± 0.09 mg and an average total length of 4.08 ± 0.21 mm, from a single breeding pair. The live food was newly hatched nauplii of Artemia franciscana, and the inert diet was a commercial ration with 55% crude protein and two particle sizes (142-350 µm and 350-500 µm). As the first food, all larvae received A. franciscana during the first six days, except for the fasting (NC) and inert food (IF) groups. The following co-feeding strategies were employed: C4 = 4 days of co-feeding, C8 = 8 days of co-feeding, C12 = 12 days of co-feeding, and LF = Artemia during the entire experimental period. The longest period with live food promoted better larval growth rates. The specific growth rate of larvae fed live food during the entire period (LF) was higher than that of the other groups, followed by the co-feeding strategies. There was no effect (P > 0.01) on larval survival in the LF, C12, C8, and C4 groups, which ranged from 41% to 53% after 30 days. Treatment R resulted in high mortality and low growth, suggesting that live food should be the first food source for B. lohachata larvae.