Evaluation of microparticulate diets for larval rearing of endangered fish, golden mahseer (Tor putitora)

In the present study, performance of microparticulate diets supplemented with exogenous dietary digestive enzyme mix was compared with live feed Artemia nauplii for the feeding of golden mahseer larvae after 15d of yolk sac absorption. One thousand five hundred golden mahseer larvae were randomly distributed in five treatment groups (100 larvae per tank) following a completely randomized design. Larvae were manually fed either Artemia nauplii or macerated goat liver or microparticulate diets supplemented with exogenous dietary digestive enzyme mix at different levels (0, 2.0 and 4.0 g/kg diet). After 60 d of feeding, no significant (P≥0.05) difference was noticed in the survival of golden mahseer larvae fed with different diets. However, there was significant (P≤0.05) effect of different dietary treatments on the weight gain and specific growth rate. The highest weight gain and specific growth rate was observed in the Artemia nauplii fed group followed by microparticulate diet containing digestive enzyme mix of 2.0 g/kg diet. The weight gain of larvae fed the microparticulate diet supplemented with digestive enzyme mix of 2.0 g/kg diet was almost 80.4 per cent of that achieved for larvae fed Artemia nauplii. The lowest weight gain per cent and specific growth rate was evidenced in the group fed with macerated goat liver. Based on the results of the present study, the microparticulate diet supplemented with exogenous dietary digestive enzyme mix (2.0 g/kg diet) can be an alternative for the feeding of golden mahseer larvae after 15 days of yolk sac absorption.