Advances in the Nutrition and Feeding of the Bullseye Puffer Sphoeroides annulatus

The present report describes the research done to date on the nutritional requirements andfeeding of the bullseye puffer Sphoeroides annulatus. After hatching, the larvae of thespecies have been successfully reared with the microalgae Isochysis sp. andNannochloropsis oculata, the rotifer Brachionus rotundiformis and the brine shrimpArtemia. The live food feeding schedule starts at day 1 post-hatchand last until day 29 posthatch,time when the larvae are weaned onto artificial microdiets prepared with proteinsources adequated to the capacities for digestion of marine fish larvae. Weaning is doneover a five days period with a post-weaning survival of 49%. The highest growth injuveniles fed dry diets with different protein levels was achieved with a 55% proteincontent. As for the lipids, a preliminary experiment indicates that 5.6% lipid in the dietproduces better growth than a diet with 9.5%. Practical dry diets with different proteinsources for the grow-out of S. annulatus have been tested, the best results were obtainedwith a diet prepared with fresh ingredients. Further testing of different meals of marineorigin is currently done to formulate dry diets for the grow-out of the species. Broodstockfeeding is currently done with a mixed ration of a dry diet formulated with 42% protein and14% lipid with a trout diet with 42% protein and 10% lipid.