Influence of stocking density and type of feed on the rearing of crucian carp, Carassius carassius (L.), larvae under controlled conditions

Abstract

Two experiments were conducted into the rearing of crucian carp larvae under controlled conditions in an experimental closed water system. In both cases, the rearing lasted 21 days. The first experiment concerned the initial stocking density (from 50 to 600 individuals per l), whilst the second one studied the first food offered (two types of Artemia nauplii, decapsulated Artemia cysts and three types of commercial feeds) which were applied at the moment of exogenous feeding commencement. The best results were obtained using 50 larvae per l, whilst there were no significant differences within the range 200-600 larvae per l. The application of dry feed had a negative influence on the survival and other parameters. The highest survival rate was found in the groups fed with freshly hatched Artemia naupli. The results obtained indicate that the rearing of crucian carp larvae may be successfully conducted in very high stocking densities. However, the very high sensitivity of crucian carp larvae to the type of food offered during the initial days of life should be taken into account. The data presented in this article could be very useful in crucian carp larviculture.

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“…These results are highly congruent with the findings of other researchers who concluded that many cyprinid larvae are sensitive to feeding with commercial dry food (Wolnicki and Górny, 1995a, 1995b, 1995cKaiser et al, 2003;Żarski et al, 2011). When only dry food was provided, crucian carp larvae grew very poorly and their mean body mass was only 7.3-8.8% at the end of 21 days long rearing experiments compared to the control groups fed with Artemia nauplii.…”

Effect of age, size and digestive tract development on weaning effectiveness in crucian carp, Carassius carassius (Linnaeus, 1758)

“…This shows the importance of live food in many freshwater species during their initial period of exogenous feeding. This includes crucian carp (Żarski et al., ; Demény et al., ). However, larvae of the ide Leuciscus idus , the asp Aspius aspius and the rudd Scardinius erythophtalmus , are able to digest compound feed as early as 10 days post‐hatch feeding with Artemia (Kwiatkowski et al., ; Wolnicki et al., ).…”

“…In the groups in which the feed type was switched gradually to compound feed, the tanks were cleaned three times a day (each time 15 minutes after the end of feeding). Feeding lasted 1 h with the dose given to the larvae in small portions every few minutes (as described by Żarski et al., ; Nowosad et al., ). Fifteen minutes after the feeding was completed, the excess feed was removed (Nowosad et al., ).…”

“…barbel Barbus barbus ) can be easily adapted to commercial diets at the onset of exogenous feeding (Wolnicki and Górny, ). Others, such as chub Leuciscus cephalus (L.), tench Tinca tinca (L.), and crucian carp are unable to digest compound diets during early larval stages due to the insufficient development of their digestive systems (Dąbrowski, ; Kujawa, ; Mamcarz et al., ; Żarski et al., ).…”

“…Determining the exact time for optimal transfer of fish larvae from live food to prepared diets as well as selecting the proper diets for early larval stages is very important for successful larval culture (e.g. maximize growth, minimize mortality; Kolkovski, ; Mahmood et al., ; Fletcher et al., ; Wocher et al., ; Żarski et al., ; Palińska‐Żarska et al., ). The effectiveness of weaning directly with prepared diets depends on how far the digestive tract development is advanced (Palińska‐Żarska et al., ).…”