The larviculture of carnivorous marine finfish is heavily dependent on live feeds. However, the production of live feeds requires specialized labor and are prone to population crashes due to their sensitivity to environmental factors. Replacing live feeds with commercially available pelleted diets will significantly benefit producers by reducing both feed and labor costs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of a commercial formulated diet (INVE Natura pRo and ExL; INVE Aquaculture, Belgium) to replace the use of rotifers and/or Artemia in the larviculture of Florida Pompano (Trachinotus carolinus). This feed has previously demonstrated promising results with seabream (Sparus aurata) larvae, achieving over 50% substitution of rotifers, with satisfactory growth rates, larval quality, and survival. The present study was designed to determine whether similar success could be achieved with Florida Pompano.
Our experimental design included a control group using standard rotifer and Artemia live feed protocols, along with three treatment groups that were each tested in four replicate tanks (n = 16). Treatment 1 (T1) received an 80% pelleted feed replacement, Treatment 2 (T2) received a 100% pelleted feed replacement along with an additional probiotic slurry, and Treatment 3 (T3) switched from live feeds to 100% pelleted feed replacement after 4DPH. Larvae were sampled at 0, 7, 11, 20, and 25 days post-hatch for fatty acid, biometric, and microbiome analyses. Preliminary biometric results revealed that larvae fed T2 and T3 underwent total mortality before reaching the weaning stage, indicating that the commercial diet is unsuitable for complete replacement of rotifers and Artemia in Florida pompano. In contrast, T1 larvae survived past the weaning stage, though they exhibited lower survival rates and slower growth compared to the control group (Figures 1 & 2). Although a total live feed replacement was not achieved in this study, a high replacement percentage of 80% still demonstrates its potential to significantly reduce live feed reliance. Our results show that this commercial diet can serve as a viable alternative, especially in circumstances where producers face challenges in consistently sourcing rotifers and Artemia for larviculture