Effects of prey color, wall color and water color on food ingestion of larval orange-spotted grouper Epinephelus coioides (Hamilton, 1822)

Effects of prey color, wall color and water color on the food ingestion of orange-spotted grouper Epinephelus coioides larvae were studied under a laboratory condition. The food ingestion of fish larvae was significantly affected by wall color. The highest food ingestion was observed when fish were stocked in white containers, while the lowest food ingestion occurred in black containers. Fish larvae ingested significantly more green-stained rotifers than red- and purple-stained rotifers. Furthermore, the number of rotifers ingested by fish in Nannochloropsis-colored rotifers was significantly higher than fish ingesting artificially stained green rotifers. This study indicates that orange-spotted grouper larvae prefer green food particle and ingest more food in white containers. Nanochloropsis is a suitable additive in the tank to produce green rotifers that are preferred by fish larvae.