Influence of Feeding Natural and Formulated Diets on Chosen Rheophilic Cyprinid Larvae

The aim of the work was to determine the impact of commercial feed used as an alternative diet for larval fish of the genera Leuciscus on growth and survival during rearing under controlled conditions. Larvae of chub, Leuciscus cephalus (L.), ide, Leuciscus idus (L.), and orfe (its yellow pigmented form), and dace, Leuciscus leuciscus (L.), were obtained from breeding under controlled conditions and reared for 21 days in a closed recirculating system. The control group was comprised of larvae fed Artemia nauplii. The experimental group was fed Artemia for the first seven days of rearing and then this was partially replaced with formulated feed. The experimental group was fed from day 14 exclusively with formulated feed. The results obtained indicated that the feeding treatment was highly effective. While the body sizes of the larval dace from the control group were similar to those of the experimental group, the larvae of the other species that received the mixed diet attained greater weights (chub, ide) or greater weights and lengths (orfe) by the end of the experiment.