Publication Abstract

Dried algae diets for rearing bivalve molluscs

I. Laing

Bivalve mollusc larvae and juveniles are particulate filter feeders. Traditionally, rearing them in hatcheries has relied on live algal foods, the large-scale production of which is a laborious, technically difficult and expensive procedure. A widely grown species is Tetraselmis suecica, which is often used as part of a mixed algae diet. The results presented show that the nutritional value of heterotrophically-grown, spray-dried was very similar to that of live, light-grown cells, both as a single species diet and as the major component (50-70%) of a mixed diet for juvenile Manila clam and pacific oyster. Manila clam larvae grew much better when fed dried Nannochloris sp than the live alga counterpart. Spray-dried algae are more convenient to use than live algae and could help lift one one of the major logistic constraints to the production of bivalve molluscs in hatcheries. Also, they will provide a useful research tool in the understanding of the nutritional requirements of these animals.

Reference:

I. Laing, 1990. Dried algae diets for rearing bivalve molluscs. British Phycological Journal, 25(1), 91-92.