Alimentary handling in the larviculture of mandi-pintado (“Pimelodus britskii”)

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the growth rate and survival of mandi-pintado (Pimelodus britskii) larvae submitted to different feeding management. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with four treatments and five replicates in a tank with 30 liters of water, each containing 30 larvae (0.032 ± 0.0048g and 8.22 ± 0.40mm). The treatments consisted of larvae fed with artemia; diet; artemia + diet; and artemia for two weeks + diet. Fish fed with artemia + diet showed greater weight and length, when compared to other feeding managements. The fish fed only with diet showed the worst performance. For the mandi-pintado larval rearing, the use of artemia combined with diet provides the best results for survival and growth.