The potential of russian sturgeon (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii) in exploitation of Artemia urmiana in comparison with Daphnia sp. and its mixture

Experiments were conducted to evaluate two types of live food for Russian Sturgeon larvae, Acipenser gueldenstaedtii. Russian sturgeon larvae with initial weight 57.44±6.65 mg were transferred to 9 circular fiberglass tanks with a volume 50 liters and a density of 2 pieces per liter. The larvae were fed on different diets: (A) Artemia urmiana nauplii, (D) Daphnia sp., and a mixture of 50% Artemia+50% Daphnia (A+D) were fed, respectively. After a 28-day rearing period, the highest survival rate was obtained with the larvae receiving mixture feed (A+D). Feeding of the larvae with Daphnia sp. resulted in a significantly lower survival rate compared to the other groups. The obtained results showed that using a mixture of Artemia urmiana and Daphnia indicated to the best growth and feeding parameters for Acipenser gueldenstaedtii larvae.