Nutritional and antibacterial treatments of live food organisms : the influence on survival, growth rate and weaning success of Turbot (Scophthalmus maximus)

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Abstract
After ingestion of nutrients and/or antibacterial drug, liver food organisms were given to turbot (S. maximus) larvae. When the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis was treated with the drug, between 21 and 33% of the [turbot] larvae survived to day 14; survival was quite poor without this treatment. When rotifers were also enriched with nutrients, survival rate of turbot on day 14 was between 36 and 69%. A pathological infection was probably encountered during these experiments, while the dietary value of rotifers would also be implicated in the early survival of turbot. Nauplii, then metanauplii of Artemia salina were supplied afterwards with the same treatments. The weaning onto a compound diet started on day 30; by day 45 the survival of turbot which had been fed with enriched live organisms was between 17 and 35%, with a mean weight between 225 and 630 mg. When the live food organisms had not been enriched, survival on day 45 was between 5 and 14% and the mean weight was between 130 and 170 mg. Though the growth rates with or without enrichment were not clearly different before weaning, the enrichment of live food organisms appears therefore to be helpful in preparing turbot to be weaned while keeping an excellent growth rate. The value of treating Artemia with the antibacterial drug was not determined in this preliminary study.