Results of the larviculture of Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus) fed different types of diets

The aim of this experiment was to assess the impact live and formulated diets had on the growth and survival of larval Atlantic sturgeon, Acipenser oxyrinchus Mitchill. In the first experiment, the results of feeding the fish decapsulated (group D) and undecapsulated (group ND) Artemia sp. cysts were compared. Increases in the body weights and lengths of the fish fed decapsulated and undecapsulated Artemia sp. were similar at values that were not statistically significant. Survival in the larval group fed undecapsulated Artemia was higher in comparison to the group fed decapsulated Artemia (95.0 and 82.8%, respectively). In the second experiment, three commercial starter feeds were used: Aller ArtEX (Aller Aqua, Poland; group A), Nutra HP (Skretting, France; group H), and Perla Prolarvae (Spa Hendrix, Italy; group P). Following 35 days of culture, no differences were noted in fish growth with lengths in the different groups ranging from 28 to 30 mm and weights from 119 to 134 mg. Fish survival in group A was 55% and was significantly statistically higher than that in groups H and P at 31.7 and 35.7%, respectively. The results of the experiment suggest that the best feed for the early stages of Atlantic sturgeon culture is undecapsulated Artemia during the beginning of exogenous feeding followed by an Artemia-based feed in the initial period of feeding with formulated diets.