Stress Survival in Larvae of Florida Pompano (Trachinotus carolinus) Fed Enriched Rotifers (Brachionus plicatilis) and Nauplii of the Calanoid Copepod (Pseudodiaptomus pelagicus)

The Florida pompano, Trachinotus carolinus, is a highly prized marine fish whose larviculture includes the feeding of live rotifers and brine shrimp nauplii. In a previous study, growth and survival of pompano larvae fed nauplii of the calanoid copepod, Pseudodiaptomus pelagicus, were compared to those of larvae fed enriched rotifers, Brachionus plicatilis. There were advantages to including the copepod in the larvae diet. The current study examines the stress tolerance of such larvae. Two trials were conducted: for seven (trial 1) and nine (trial 2) days post-hatch. Larvae were fed diets that included enriched rotifers and/or P. pelagicus nauplii and subjected to varying durations of air exposure (‘sieve stress’). Larvae fed copepods exhibited significantly greater stress tolerance than larvae fed only enriched rotifers. In trial 1, stress tolerance increased as the number of days on which copepods were fed increased. It is possible that stress tolerance improved because of a better nutritional profile of the copepod nauplii