Ingestion of Microencapsulated Diets by Japanese Flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) Larvae

In order to study the feasibility of feeding young Japanese flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) larvae with artificial diets, an experiment was designed to estimate the ingestion of a microencapsulated diet. Larvae from first feeding (3 days after hatching) were fed these microencapsulated diets. The experiment was carried out with new larvae every two days, as the larvae grew in a normal culture. Consumption was estimated by microscopic examination of the guts of the larvae fed microencapsulated diets. Results show that Japanese flounder larvae can ingest inert microcapsules right from first feeding, as long as the feed is available for a period longer than 10 minutes in the water column. The number of particles ingested and the size of the particles ingested increased with the age of the larvae. Another important conclusion is that the feed size must be 15-20 % of the mouth opening in order to be effectively ingested by the larvae.