Technical and economic feasibility of food strategies in the hatchery of Cyprinus carpio (Cypriniformes, Cyprinidae) in a recirculating aquaculture system

Abstract

In order to optimize the performance and reduce costs in the larviculture of ornamental carp (Cyprinus carpio) in a recirculating aquaculture system, different feeding strategies were tested. For this, two experiments were carried out both under controlled conditions in a greenhouse, in a recirculating aquaculture system with a physical particle filter, biofilter, and filtering by ultra-violet irradiation. In the first experiment, measurements of Artemia nauplii were tested in the initial exogenous feeding of larvae at concentrations of 100, 200, 400, 600, 800 and 1,000 Artemia nauplii per larvae. In the following experiment, different protocols were tested for initial feeding for larvae. At this stage, were used: live food (Artemia nauplii) and inert (powder meal), used separately and simultaneously, and increases in the number of Artemia nauplii were also tested, offered at different times of cultivation. In the first experiment, the amount of 600 Artemia nauplii for larvae demonstrated to be the best option as it generated significant growth and the cost was less than that observed with the use of 800 and 1000 Artemia nauplii per larvae. The second experiment demonstrated that the feeding strategy with live food more commercial inert feed provided the best growth performance for ornamental carp larvae. The need to fix the amount of live food during the cultivation, probably due to the high specific growth rates observed during the larval stage also became evident.